As crews begin to shift through the ashes and whatever is left in the wake of the California fires, there will be the inevitable "would have, should have, could have" sessions. In actuality, those began even when the blazes were erupting.
At the ground level, such conversations are known as "after-action reviews." Some fire crews used to call them "tailgaters." Those are informal conferences held after a crew has been demobilized or a fire is out to discuss what went right, what went wrong, and what should be done differently on the next fire.
For an incident that is particularly catastrophic and/or involves the loss of life, the agency in charge of the fire in question usually does an investigation and holds hearings to uncover the details of where things went off the rails. I am curious to see what the investigations will reveal about this year's fires. However, given the circumstances, I am not optimistic that we will ever get a clear picture of what led to the infernos, although the pieces are not hard to put together.
When I was in fire, we used to have a saying that I am given to understand applies in other disciplines: "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it." Such was one case in the recent tragedy in California.
The online publication Fire House notes that last year, the California state government disbanded an all-volunteer fire crew known as Team Blaze, made up largely of firefighters and law enforcement officers. They were paid only when they were deployed. In the past, the crew had distinguished itself on some of the state's most dangerous fires, such as the Dixie Fire in 2021.
The California State Guard Foundation raised money to provide Team Blaze with training and equipment. The outlet reports that last year, Adjutant General Matthew Beevers, who helms the California Military Department, ordered a restructuring early last year of the State Guard’s Emergency Response Command. Beevers decided that the donations to Team Blaze were illegal. The team was then disbanded. Some members quit, while others were absorbed into other teams, such as Team Rattlesnake and Team Shield.
Team Rattlesnake is made up of hotshots, usually referred to as elite firefighters who "hotline" and are the first-hand crews to engage a fire, safety permitting. Team Blaze was a Type II crew. I was a Type II firefighter, which meant that I often came along after the shots, cleaning up the fireline, hunting smokes and hotspots, and making sure the fire stayed contained. If I was not on the engine, I occasionally worked on a water tender, refilling other engines on an incident.
I did have a few "pucker moments," but for the most part, Type II crews normally don't see the dangerous situations and "high adventure" that Hot Shots experience. However, they allow the shots to keep moving and can be critical in ensuring a fire does not spread.
Would a single team have made a difference in California? Well, the fact that the Type I crews had no support is crucial. As Former State Guard commanding general Jay Coggan, who founded Team Blaze, told the Free Beacon:
Our people were already trained to do this. They could have done a lot. Not only could they have responded quickly, they could have made the regular firefighters more mobile. They could have brought water up to some of the houses and the hills. They could have rescued people. There’s a lot they could have done.
That said, as it turned out, Beevers had an intense dislike for Coggan, who is also a Jewish attorney. Beevers allegedly once referred to Coggan as a "k**e lawyer." According to the Free Beacon:
Beevers also faces charges of anti-Semitism from former Brigadier General Jeffrey Magram, an experienced commander credited with leading the California Air National Guard’s response to some of the largest wildfires in state history. Magram is suing Beevers, alleging he orchestrated his firing in retaliation for Magram defending Coggan during one of Beevers’s anti-Semitic rants, the Free Beacon reported. Magram is also suing Newsom, who issued an order separating him from state active duty in November 2022.
Incidentally, Beevers reportedly told Coggan that Team Blaze could continue to receive funds from the donations, provided they went through a fund that Beevers controlled. The Free Beacon reported that speaking on behalf of Gavin Newsom, California National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Brandon Hill said that the governor's office had no regrets about disbanding Team Blaze, stating that the team was ineffective due to insufficient funding.
It is true that given the size of the fires, one Type II crew would not have turned the tide. But the situation above is emblematic of the mindset of the Newsom administration and the government of California in general. The fact that the state was willing to play politics and engage in petty grudges while doom patiently waited for the right circumstances speaks volumes.
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