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Temecula Fire Chief says city remained protected while crews supported LA-area fires; council questions causes and responder safety
Summary
Fire Chief Crater briefed the council on mutual‑aid deployments to Los Angeles‑area fires, reassured residents that Temecula remained covered, and detailed engine and personnel deployments; the council asked about causes and respiratory protection for firefighters.
Temecula Fire Chief Crater told the City Council on Jan. 14 that Temecula firefighters were deployed to several major fires in Los Angeles and surrounding areas while local coverage was maintained through mutual‑aid agreements.
Crater reported that the Temecula Fire Department handled 10,576 calls in the city last year and performed 11,844 fire‑prevention inspections and plan checks. He said Temecula crews were sent to support the Eaton and Palisades fires: "We sent 25 engines to the Eaton fire…" he said, adding that Temecula engine 73 and other county engines were part of deployments. For the Palisades fire he said the county deployed 10 type‑1 engines and two strike teams of hand crews and water tenders; Temecula engines 95 and 12 were also assigned.
The chief emphasized that despite those mutual‑aid deployments Temecula remained covered overnight through cooperative staffing with Riverside County Fire Department: "The city of Temecula is well protected," he said.
Nut graf: Chief Crater stressed mutual‑aid commitments to neighboring jurisdictions while assuring the council the city’s own staffing was held in reserve; council members asked about fire causes and responder safety equipment.
Council members followed by asking whether recent multiple small fires in Riverside County were arson, accidental or equipment‑related. Crater replied that most fires have a human cause of some kind — "whether it’s neglect or arson" — and said arson investigators were conducting reviews; he said officials could not comment further until investigations were complete. Council members also raised concerns about respiratory protection for first responders; Councilmember Barron noted logistical problems locating N95 respirators and thanked staff for delivering roughly 10,000 N95 masks to incident command. The council and staff described an inventory of city supplies and mutual‑aid coordination to ensure deputies and firefighters have protective equipment.
Ending: the council expressed appreciation for the department’s deployments and mutual‑aid work and asked staff to continue to monitor equipment and supplies and coordinate regional support as wildland and structure fires continue to present regional risk.
