Communication Helps Firefighters
By: Victor Sotelo
Updated: January 26, 2009
Over a dozen fire departments responded to the wildfire Thursday and over 20 other agencies were also there to lend a hand. But with so many agencies working on one fire that covered such a big area, how did they fight the fire in an organized manner? The task of organizing the firefighting effort fell on Incident Commander Clay Deathrage, who directed the effort sitting in a van on the side of FM 600.
Deatherage is a lifelong firefighter, and his wife is also a certified fire fighter. Both he and his wife work with the Hawley Fire Department. Deatherage is in a wheelchair and his wife drives him to the scene of a fire where he works out of his van.
The two kept track of all the firefighters on the scene. Deatherage's wife kept a record of everything that went on, and together they helped save about 200 homes directly in the path of the fire. Deathrage says this is one of the biggest fires he has ever worked.
