DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Firefighters in Colorado are about to receive reinforcements as crews from across the state prepare to assist with western wildfires.
Twenty more crewmen from across Pennsylvania are set to assist with western wildfires in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Crew boss Troy Stimaker is set to lead the charge.
“Fire is a little bit different in the west than what it is in the east for the most part, but the people out there really appreciate the work that you do, you feel like you’re doing something very meaningful, and they appreciate it,” Stimaker said.
Stimaker and his team are expected to relieve crews in Stone Mountain Colorado and are expected to work across 1,500 acres of land impacted by wildfires over the next two weeks. However, crews may be deployed elsewhere depending on the severity of other wildfires.
For Josue Guevara, it’s his fourth year volunteering.
“We are at a Preparedness Level 5, so that means all resources that are available need to become available because nationally we are scarce on resources, and so what allows me to come out to do this is that fact,” Guevara said.
Guevara is among the fourth crew dispatched this year by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He traveled from Washington D.C. to Dauphin County, where the crew is expected to travel from Monday.
His area of expertise is what helped him get selected.
“What I carry the most while doing wildland firework as a tree worker is my experience in doing tree removals, so it translates really well to the wildland fire because I’m a faller,” Guevara said.
A "faller" is a person authorized to fall trees.
The National Park Service reports 85 uncontained fires across the country, with more than 600 crews already deployed out west.
Stimaker is worried the numbers might not be enough unless more young people join the fight.
“As you age and carrying that saw might not be as desirable as you get older, so it’s important we have younger folks to fill those shoes,” Stimaker said.
Crewmen from a previous deployment are expected to return sometime this week.
DCNR expects to send a fifth and sixth crew sometime this month.