What is a Hand Crew?

By industry standards, a hand crew is a group of personnel that specializes in vegetation fuel management related to vegetation fire hazards and risks. hand crews generally have 10 members who focus on implementing fuel treatments in a variety of fuel types.  They help reduce fuel availability and promote healthy landscapes by thinning/clearing vegetation. The Chula Vista Fire Department Hand Crew 1 is comprised of 14 crew members and three supervisors.

Why does Chula Vista need a Hand Crew?

The City of Chula Vista has many amenities to offer its citizens.  In particular, residents have access to hundreds of acres of undeveloped open space areas, 65+ parks, and other preserves that maintain the region’s natural vegetation. A significant amount of these open spaces abut residential neighborhoods throughout the city, creating what is known as the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Throughout the United States and specifically, here in California, the WUI is a common hazard with a standard set of mitigations to maintain the land in its natural state and reduce the risk to the public.  There are approximately 30 open spaces that are owned by the City of Chula Vista which creates a WUI threat to the public.

As the City continues to grow, so does the threat of the WUI. The occurrence of vegetation fire continues to increase annually. A variety of factors contribute to these fires and now is the time to implement proactive measures to combat these trends and minimize the threat.  With the proper resources, the Fire Department can better control these environments by removing hazardous fuels and creating access for fire suppression activities.  Proactive efforts will lead to smaller fires, provide safer environments for citizens and reduce the number of department resources required to manage vegetation fires.

How does a Hand Crew benefit our community?

The Hand crew is intended to reduce the wildfire risk to the public. By reducing wildfire risk, we create safer communities, safer places to recreate, and also generate awareness for fire safety and preparedness. With a fuels crew performing hazardous fuels reduction activities, aimed at keeping wildfires smaller and more manageable, we create safer a safer environment for our first responders and the public. Additionally, the Chula Vista Fire Department Crew 1 serves as an inroad into the fire service. Hand Crew members are your neighbors, friends, and residents of your very own Chula Vista community. Several members were born and raised in Chula Vista. The Hand Crew offers another route for employment opportunities within the Chula Vista Fire Department and helps members embark on a career path in the fire service.

If you are interested in applying for the Chula Vista Fire Department Hand Crew, please click here.

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