Firefighters battle blaze in high temperatures

Firefighters continue to work days on end to contain fires like the Bogart blaze.
Today is captain Lucas Spelman’s 19th day fighting fires in over 100 degree weather.

“We continue to work through as fires pop up. We just don’t have a break,” said Spelman.

Firefighters work as long as 21 days without a break, and sometimes longer depending on the firefighters’ position.

Cathey Mattingly, from San Bernardino County fire said the safety of the firefighters is a number one priority. Firefighters are supplied with cooling resources on site, like sleep trailers and cooling stations.

Preventative measures are taken to avoid heat exhaustion.

“We have line EMTs hiking or driving around on the line to make sure that we have people close by in case someone needs a little extra care,” said Mattingly.

Hydration is constantly being encouraged.

“The gear that they wear has an integrated water system in it, so they have water on their bodies all the time,” said Mattingly.

Hundreds of lunch packs are distributed to firefighters. Lunches are equipped with snacks to sustain firefighters for a 24 hour period. Each lunch pack has 4,000 calories worth of food inside.

Spelman says he makes sure to give his mental health a break too.

“The biggest thing is to really disconnect from the fire itself. Gather your thoughts, be in a quiet place,” said Spelman.

Regardless of the long hours and tiring days, Spelman says he has one duty;

“We’re emergency workers and we need to get this done, and the people of California are depending on us.”