Ben Lomond/Boulder Creek Fire Districts Support Fund

The CZU Lightening Complex Fire in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties has been burning for 11 days, consuming over 80,000 acres of land. As homes are burning and people are evacuating, firefighters are combining resources to provide emergency services.

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District is working side-by-side with the mostly volunteer Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek Fire Districts to contain the fire. They loaned their Reserve Training Engine to the Ben Lomond Fire District last week, noting it also now “serves the communities of Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek”, and noticed a need for much more. Below is a statement from Menlo Park Fire Chief Schapelhouman:

We specialize in rapid mobility for various actual emergencies with the potential for immediate deployment anywhere in the United States and its territories. Our mind set as first responders is adapt, improvise and overcome. The initial “ask” from Ben Lomond was for a loaner stripped down reserve training fire engine. But we quickly realized when we brought it up there that they and Boulder Creek, needed much, much more. Fire personnel were lying on the concrete floor of the apparatus room in their dirty gear just to get some sleep. Within hours we were back with a 6,000 Gallon Water Tanker we occasionally use at our training center along with pallets of water and Gatorade. Within the next 24 hours, we delivered cots and sleeping bags, toiletries, spare radios and fire foam. Now each day we ask them what they need and serve as their logistical supply line so they can focus on the important task of saving their communities.

We were able to coordinate our efforts over the last several days and work with Pastor Baines with We Hope Services in East Palo Alto, who graciously supplied both the shower and laundry trailers and two people to operate them for the Boulder Creek Volunteer Firefighters, who tonight took advantage of getting cleaned up for the first time in a week and after being on the fire line all day. 

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District has now created a fund with PVF to support the Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Districts. For more information, visit Menlo Fire’s website.