AMADOR COUNTY –  Dozens of CALFIRE Deputy State Fire Marshals (DSFM) are assigned on emergency incidents in Amador, Calaveras, Napa and Lake County.  The  DFSMs are currently assessing the damage where raging fires have destroyed homes, outbuildings and businesses.

“Many of our California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) members are away from home and working the Butte and Valley fires, to name the two largest fires burning in Northern California right now,” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona.  “These fires have taken an enormous toll on so many different levels.  I thank our members who are devoting so many days, even weeks, away from their own homes and families to fight fire, dispatch resources, set up fire camps, provide law enforcement and assess the devastating damage.”

One of the many CSLEA members assigned to fire duty is Fire Marshal and Emergency Services Association (FMESA) Vice President Chris Fowler.   “I, along with CSLEA Members Andrew Henning, Andy McSorley and Matt Carter, all Deputy State Fire Marshals,  am assigned to the Situation Unit based out of the Amador County Fairgrounds,” Fowler reported.  “There are  deputies on call statewide within the division; with 8-10 deputies working on the Valley Fire in Lake County as well.”

Fowler is part of the damage inspection teams assigned to various divisions or branches to assess damaged structures. “We partner with field observers and collect data as the incident progresses; we coordinate photos and narratives with parcel numbers on county maps. The data is digitally archived into an application specific to the incident,” said Fowler.  “It gives us real time information regarding damage which can be provided to the community. Many residents are still evacuated, waiting anxiously for any news regarding the condition of their homes. We can ease some of the unknowns as the information we collect is shared”