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The unprecedented wildfires in Los Angeles have triggered a massive statewide response where more than 7,500 firefighters from all over California have been summoned. Among them is Battalion Chief Phil Rossi of the Hollister Fire Department.
Fire Chief Jonathan Goulding told BenitoLink that Rossi was dispatched last week as a strike team leader, managing a crew with five engines from the region. The request for a strike team leader was made by L.A. County, and the state sent it to Cal Fire’s San Benito-Monterey Unit, which then assigned Rossi.
Rossi was born and raised in Hollister and has worked for the Fire Department for 16 years.
Sending firefighters from one county to another is pretty standard in California. “No one has enough firefighters to handle everything,” said Chief Goulding. “Because resources are extremely limited, we rely on other departments when in need.”
Last summer, when the Tag Adventure Park was in flames, Hollister’s firefighters got help from Cal Fire and the Gilroy Fire Department. And when, in October, Clean Green Recycling burst into flames, Cal Fire personnel came in to provide aid.
Goulding also told BenitoLink that sending firefighters to other counties “gives them experience” and prepares them for any disaster in San Benito County.
Besides Rossi’s team, Cal Fire has deployed other resources to help battle the fires in Los Angeles. They have sent a Strike Team to the Palisades Fires, a bulldozer to the Hurst Fires, and more firefighters to prevent any incident in San Bernardino County, which, east of LA County, is threatened by wildfires.
Editor’s note: We have reached out to Chief Rossi for comment. Follow BenitoLink for updates.
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