11 locals deployed to help fight wildfires

Eleven local men, two of whom are from the local firefighting division, will be deployed to California to help put out wildfires that have been raging around the state and in Nevada.

According to Forestry Program manager Tony Babauta, the crew is scheduled to depart at 5pm tomorrow. They will be off-island for three to four weeks. The group’s itinerary indicates stops in Tokyo and Honolulu before reaching Sacramento, where they would be briefed on their assignments at the U.S. National Forestry Service Facility in McClellan.

“Once they reach there, they are in the hands of the U.S. Forestry Service,” he said. “They are expected to be there for about 21 days to a month, depending on the time needed to extinguish the fires.”

Babauta said that crew might be mobilized to other states depending on “call.”

“If there is a need, they might be going to assist with fires at other states, but that depends on the U.S. Forestry Service,” he said.

Babauta disclosed that the Saipan crew is under the command of local firefighter Joseph Pangelinan.

Also being deployed are local firefighter Paul Sasamoto, James Blas of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Memorino Elyeisar of the Commonwealth Ports Authority and Robert Repeki, John Camacho, Norman Skilling, Joseph Muna, and Paul Lisua, all currently employed in the private sector.

Babauta said a crew from Guam, consisting of about 10 members, would be deployed as well.

He said the U.S. Forestry Service conducts federally funded training sessions on island every January, in hopes of attracting residents for possible deployment to fight wildfires during summer. The crew enlisted during the training, becoming “Hot Shots,” a name that Babauta says classifies all who are certified to fight forest fires.

“This is the third time that we have people from here go to assist with fighting fire,” he said.

Department of Public Safety commissioner Edward Camacho said yesterday he is currently pushing for the two local fire fighters to remain on island amid the shortage of personnel.

Some 30 DPS personnel from Saipan are currently in Hawaii for the annual three-week training of Army reservists, but the administration is anticipating the reservists’ prolonged deployment and possible assignment to the Middle East and Afghanistan. Twenty of them come from the police divisions, while 10 others are employed with the Division of Fire.

The CNMI recently received notification to deploy the reservists, totaling some 83, including the DPS personnel. Reservists from Saipan, Guam and American Samoa form part of the Army Reserve’s 500-strong 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry.

The deployment leaves the department with 71 firefighters on Saipan. The number will be reduced to 69 once Pangelinan and Sasamoto are deployed.