Village-sized fire camp keeps N.M. prepared

By Laura Nesbitt
The Mountain View Telegraph

MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. — After high winds caused the Trigo Fire to blowup in size April 30, officials called in firefighting backup.

As of Tuesday, more than 800 firefighters were staying at a temporary fire camp set up at the Mountainair Activity Center, formerly the Assembly of God campground, on N.M. 60.

Mountainair has a total population of about 1,100.

The fire camp resembles a temporary village at the far end of town with a supply area, medical unit, toilets, showers, tents and food services.

The line of hundreds of firefighters in the morning getting breakfast is very long, said fire information officer Murt Sullivan.

A supply area with many long collapsible tables offers personal protective equipment that each firefighter must wear to go to the fire line and fight the blaze, including Nomex pants and shirts, and a fire shelter.

A fire shelter is an aluminized tent that reflects radiant heat and provides breathable air — provided that the firefighter brings his or her mouth as close to the ground as possible, Sullivan said.

The fire shelter is used only in a life-threatening situation as an absolute last resort when the firefighter can do nothing to avoid the flames, Sullivan said.

"It's a huge big deal if one gets deployed. Those numbers are tracked," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said he knew of only two fire shelters that were deployed nationwide last year.

Base camp manager Jeff Wornek said his job is to see that "this thing runs smoothly."

"This is sweet to have this much infrastructure," Wornek said about the empty buildings that fire camp operations now fill.

"The incident commander (Jeff Whitney) is like the mayor," Wornek said.

Incident communications manager James Pfeifer called the various acronyms used by firefighters "a whole language" of their own.

Pfeifer manages the communications center. When firefighters come into an area, they erect their own batterypowered repeater.

In the morning at 6 a.m., about 200 firefighters assemble at the Joe J. Brazil Auditorium, which is large enough for the morning briefing.

About 8 p.m., there is a planning meeting for the following day attended only by members of incident command and representatives of the fire divisions, Sullivan said.

The firefighters leave about 7 a.m. and don't return to fire camp until about 10 p.m. when the night shift goes on duty, Sullivan said.

Demographically, fire camp is about 15 percent to 25 percent women with a large percentage of firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management.

"The BLM is one of the big public land management agencies, and the big public land management agencies are in the fire business," Sullivan said.

Navajo Scouts, Zuni, Fort Apache, Santo Domingo, Laguna and San Carlos are all fire crews assigned to the fire line, fire information officer Francisco Lueras said.

Firefighters also come from National Park Service, New Mexico State Forestry Division, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and National Association of State Foresters, Sullivan said.