Yuma — On Saturday, July 15, 2023, at approximately 1:45 p.m., the Yuma Fire Department received a request for mutual assistance from California officials regarding the dispatch of a strike team to the burning “Rabbit Fire” in Riverside County. By 2:45 p.m., the locomotive and four YFD personnel left Yuma to rendezvous with the rest of the Imperial Valley Strike Team in Imperial County, California.

A strike team consists of several firefighting units with personnel and team leaders drawn from various departments. The team usually stays together throughout the deployment. Due to our equipment and training, our personnel are typically assigned to neighborhood structure protection duties. We anticipate being out of office for up to two weeks, but hopefully it won’t be needed for too long.

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. The last time his YFD personnel were dispatched with a strike team or task force was in September 2022 at the “Fairview Fire” near Hemet, Riverside County, California.