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Fire chief reports Builla blaze still uncontained; county engines deployed to California
Summary
County emergency staff reported the Builla fire remains uncontained and described ongoing mutual-aid deployments, engine returns, staffing and training needs, and a review of firefighter pay structures.
Duchesne County emergency management and fire personnel told commissioners on Sept. 2 that the Builla fire remained uncontained and about two miles from the Duchesne County line as of the report, with ongoing aircraft and firefighter activity to monitor and limit spread.
A county presenter said the fire is "still 0% contained" and described it as a ‘‘healthy burn’’ that incident commanders are watching; the presenter said crews expect weather and winter conditions to ultimately stop the fire. The presentation compared suppression efforts and noted that aircraft and firefighters were staged to brace for potential runs toward county infrastructure.
Commission staff reported active mutual-aid deployments: a county engine (referred to as the Tabby engine) had been assigned to California and began initial assignments there, and other county apparatus have been deployed to support out-of-state operations. The county later confirmed receipt of its returning engine and discussed personnel availability.
Staff discussed workforce issues and pay. They said they are reviewing how state pay is structured and will gather data from neighboring agencies (Wasatch and others) to compare hourly and overtime practices so county payroll can be aligned with incident needs. Staff described ongoing hiring and training efforts to bolster staffing for full-time positions and supervisory roles: an individual in the Fruitland area is expected to be reinstated as an engine boss after local review by witnesses Travis Wright and Ryan Lafontaine.
Why it matters: The county is balancing local readiness with commitments to mutual aid. Deployments to California reduce local capacity while staff work to retain and recruit firefighters and to align pay practices with state and neighboring jurisdictions.
Next steps: Staff said they will collect salary and payroll comparisons from neighboring agencies and present recommendations for payroll adjustments to improve retention and operational consistency across multi-agency incidents.
