Southwest Airlines Provides Free Charter Flights For Texas Firefighters Combating California Wildfires
DALLAS (CBDSFW.COM) - Southwest Airlines is providing free flights for North Texas firefighters headed west to combat the 25 California wildfires that have already burned 3 million acres.
Two charters flights will transport the 165 firefighters as they deploy or return from the The Golden State.
They will depart Dallas Love Field Tuesday September 29, 2020 on a 9 a.m. flight bound for Sacramento, CA. Crews finishing their 14-day assignment in California will return from Sacramento, CA to Dallas Love Field on Tuesday September 29, 2020 landing at 7:55 p.m.
Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) resources from throughout Texas have provided assistance in California since August 24, 2020.
The Frisco Fire Department provided one wildland firefighting truck and crews as a part of the mission. Crews from Texas are assigned to two incidents (August Complex and Creek Fire) and continue to patrol fire lines and extinguish fire.
Frisco is not the only DFW area fire department to send apparatus and firefighters. Plano, Greenville, Allen, Dallas, Flower Mound, Lewisville, McKinney and Fort orth all sent resources.
There are 1,196 fire engines and 15, 071 personnel are assigned to the fires statewide including 60 engines and 234 personnel.
In addition to the resources assigned to wildfire mitigation, Texas Firefighters were assigned to incident management within the California Office of Emergency Services.
Frisco Fire Department Deputy Chief and TIFMAS North Branch Coordinator, Kyle Mills is currently at the California State Operations Center in Sacramento, CA coordinating Texas resources along with TIFMAS State Coordinator Keith Kiplinger.