Lodi firefighter shares Detwiler Fire stories
Lodi Fire Capt. David Bolognini received the call to respond to the Detwiler Fire in Mariposas County at 2 a.m. one night in late June and quickly mobilized with three other firefighters in their Type 1 fire engine, along with four other engines from fire departments in San Joaquin County.
These five engines make up the San Joaquin County Type 1 Strike Team, using engines provided by the State of California. The engines can be used by their respective fire departments as needed, on the condition that the departments send the engines, staffed with four firefighters, whenever they are called by the Office of Emergency Services (OES) as part of the state’s Master Mutual Agreement, Bolognini explained.
For the Detwiler Fire, Bolognini and his crew spent approximately one week assigned to structure protection, working around the clock to prevent the fire from reaching residential neighborhoods in Mariposa County.
As the U.S. Forest Service was lighting backfires to deprive the main blaze of potential fuel sources, the strike team cleared away propane tanks, stacks of lumber, flammable patio furniture and any other potential hazards from around the homes, clearing away debris whenever they had the time.
The team also battled both surface level fires and blazing pine trees, doing their best to conserve their limited water supplies.
“You’re not going to put out an 80-foot pine tree on fire, that would just waste water. Instead, we focused on smaller areas near the homes. We also saved 100 gallons of water for ourselves, in case of emergency,” said Bolognini.
The team managed to save a few homes, even meeting one homeowner who was so grateful that he offered the firefighters food and water before they kept moving to the next area. Strike teams, Bolognini said, have to be ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Due to the urgent nature of their duties, the team makes sure to always fully stock their Type 1 engine, specifically designed for structure protection.
“We have to be ready to go as soon as we get the call, so during the summer we keep an ice chest filled with water and Gatorade in the front. All we need to do is add ice,” said Bolognini.
Besides the beverages, the engine holds 48 hours’ worth of prepackaged meals for each firefighter, as well as sleeping bags and cots, a chainsaw, a portable gas generator and a hygiene kit. The engine also houses an 854-gallon water tank, a main pump and an auxiliary pump. While the main pump can dispense 1,250 gallons of water per minute, the engine cannot move while it is in operation. The auxiliary pump, however, can be used while the engine moves in what is called a “pump and roll,” as Bolognini explains.
Also contained in the engine are the firefighters’ equipment bag, which holds a set of protective clothing consisting of a jacket, pants, gloves and a helmet, as well as a web gear system. The web gear holds a one-person fire shelter and has space for drinking water, spare hose clamps, hand tools, a radio and hose rolls, if needed.
“When you spend 24 hours on the line hiking, laying hose line and fighting fires, you have to carry everything with you,” said Bolognini.
Each 24-hour shift on the fire line would typically be followed by 24 hours at base camp, where the firefighters would resupply, shower, eat and maybe even do laundry. While they welcomed the chance to rest, they were still technically on duty, and had to be ready to head back to the fire line or another neighborhood not previously threatened by the fire.
“The days are long and hot, and you’re in unfamiliar territory. It’s a lot to take in, but you focus on doing your job as one engine in a strike team. Mostly, I’m just proud to have helped out Mariposa County. No one community has the resources to cope with every emergency that might happen, but if we help Mariposa today, they might help San Joaquin County tomorrow,” said Bolognini.