Golden State Fire & EMS To Launch Volunteer Arson Watch Teams

Sept. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- Golden State Fire & EMS has announced plans to launch an arson watch team to monitor local mountains in the vicinity of the San Fernando valley and abroad. While other teams exist, the Golden State Fire & EMS team will be made up of strike team firefighters who have specialized training in wildland firefighting through various agencies such as the United States Forest Service.

Having teams made up of wildland firefighters will ensure that if trouble is spotted via smoke showing, the teams can rapidly investigate and then inform local fire agencies what the nature of the incident is accurately and rapidly while at the same time monitoring for suspicious activity through the use of military style optics and video. The teams will be identifiable and will serve as a deterrent against anyone seeking to start a fire. The goal is to be highly visible and to be an asset on days that require arson watch patrols such as red flag alerts issued by local agencies.

The company is in the process of soliciting community sponsors to assist with full size trucks that can be used for the arson watch teams. Eventually the company will seek grants to purchase brushfire rigs to bolster the arson watch teams. Although we applaud teams such as C.E.M.P, the company officers felt that a properly trained team for just this purpose is warranted especially in the wake of huge California and Los Angeles City budget cutbacks. Where manpower is crucial, Golden State Fire & EMS seeks to fill gaps.

Additionally, Golden State Fire & EMS will be available to local police and fire agencies to assist with traffic control and evacuations of areas threatened by fire. The team will not self deploy and is in the process of developing a call out system that agencies can tap into for rapid deployment, if needed.