Four Lufkin firefighters have been sent to battle wildland fires in West and Central Texas as part of a statewide mutual-aid agreement.
Capt. Jeff Barker and Firefighter Ivan Tapia left Lufkin yesterday morning and headed to the Abilene area to join Strike Team 22-125 comprised of firefighters from Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Longview, Mt. Pleasant, and Texarkana Fire Departments.
Capt. Duane Kenner and Lt. Jared Sowell left early this morning and headed to the San Antonio area to join Strike Team 22-129 comprised of firefighters from Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Texarkana, Whitehouse VFD, Travis County ESD No. 1, and Forest Bend Fire Departments.
These strike teams activated through the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) to support wildfire activity across the state.
“When deployed the crews will remain ready and respond to wildfires as well as perform training while they are waiting,” Asst. Fire Chief Ryan Watson said. “Crews have also been known to conduct trainings at state parks, rest areas, and other local venues where they can practice cutting trees, making fire lines to protect public buildings, and cleaning up flammable debris. Doing this they improve strike team cohesiveness, limit the possibility of damage to public facilities and hone the skills needed on the fire line.”
Upon arriving at their duty post yesterday, Barker and Tapia were sent to work the Walling Fire. The Walling Fire is a 383-acre blaze in Eastland County. It is currently at 95 percent containment, according to the Texas Wildfire Incident Response System. Today, their strike team responded to two additional fires near Snyder and Merkel.
Kenner and Sowell have been assigned to a fire in Barnhart, Texas, where the fire danger rating remains extremely critical.
“With the first crew being assigned to working fires so quickly, we expect the same for the second crew,” Watson said. “Keep these good men, the other good men and women from across the state, and our fellow Texans affected by these fires in your thoughts and prayers.”
You can follow the Lufkin Fire Department Facebook page for updates on the teams’ deployments.
