SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 21, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Thirty-five firefighters from several Utah agencies will leave Saturday for California to support firefighting efforts there.
Firefighters will deploy at 8 a.m. from the Maverik Center, at 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive in West Valley City, a news release from the Utah Division of Emergency Management said Friday night.
“They will deploy for about 16 days under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a system of state-to-state mutual aid coordinated through state emergency management agencies. California has confirmed and accepted Utah’s EMAC offer,” the news release states.
Firefighters being deployed are from Draper, Lone Peak, Orem, Park City, Pleasant Grove, Provo, Unified Fire Authority, and West Valley City Fire departments.
Precautions against COVID-19 will be taken to protect the health of Utah firefighters and those with whom they will serve. According to the news release, a representative from the Utah Department of Health will be at the Maverik Center to go over COVID-19 safety measures and to take the temperature of each firefighter before they leave.
“Utah stands ready, willing, and able to help a state in need, and EMAC is a great system for doing that,” the news release said.
