Crime & Safety

Murrieta Firemen Assigned to AZ Wallow Fire Incident Teams

Murrieta Fire Department Engineer Matt Corelli and Battalion Chief Steve Kean have both spent the last few weeks working on incident command teams on the Wallow Fire in northeastern Arizona

A 538,000-acre wildfire in northeastern Arizona was home to Murrieta Fire Department Engineer Matt Corelli for two weeks.

Since May 29, the fire has been burning in the White Mountains, threatening Apache tribal lands, miles of forest, and crossing the state line into New Mexico.

It was 95 percent contained as of Friday, leaving in its wake the destruction of 32 homes, 36 outbuildings, four commercial properties and miles of forest.

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Corelli returned home Wednesday after acting as a public information officer for a 45-member U.S. Forest Service interagency incident command team, headed up by Idyllwild Fire Chief Norm Walker.

Among Corelli's duties were disseminating information to the public and the media through community meetings; updating the incident website; and hosting dignitaries such as tribal leaders, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

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"One of the biggest benefits is that I bring that experience back to the department," Corelli said. "It enhances my ability to handle things if we get a big fire in Murrieta."

He used the west side of town, at the base of the Santa Ana Mountains, as an example of a potential large scale incident for Murrieta.

"We would do the same, with community meetings and updates."

Corelli said he has trained about 40 hours a year for the past five years as part of his commitment to be available for large-scale incidents. Because of this training, Corelli agrees to act as the public information officer for the Murrieta Fire Department.

On the Wallow Fire, he managed a team of 27 public information offciers, a skill set that Murrieta Fire Chief Matt Shobert said was invaluable.

Also serving on the Wallow Fire was Murrieta Fire Department Battalion Chief Steven Kean. Kean is trained as a supply unit commander, which has him ordering all the supplies needed for tent cities set up for fire crews.

"It does take a specialized knowledge," Shobert said.

Another benefit is that the U.S. Forest Service reimburses the salary of team members for time spent on incidents. The home fire department benefits as well, as the overtime pay required to fill their position in their absence is also reimbursed.

"The key thing is that there is no cost to the taxpayers here," Shobert said. "And we actually get a 10 percent surcharge."

Corelli said being called to incidents like the Wallow Fire keeps his skills sharp.

"If it weren't for those incidents, I wouldn't have the knowledge or ability to handle things here," Corelli said.


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