Deseret News
TOOELE, Utah — Tooele Army Depot Fire Chief Dan Dow could see the smoke rising from the nearby burning houses as he stood next to a garage filled with some of the best fire trucks in the county.
But he was unable to do anything about the fires. His hands were tied by a federal furlough that went into effect the day before that restricts his department from responding to any incident off of Depot property — even if the emergency is right down the street as it was on July 9 when two nearby homes were ablaze.
“We sat here at the front of the station and we could see the smoke and flames and we weren’t able to go. And it was really hard on the morale of the firefighters because that’s what they’re here for. That’s what they live for and train for,” Dow said Wednesday.
Full story: Furlough prevents frustrated firefighters from helping Tooele neighbors