The Navy/Marine Corps team used their LCACs (Landing Craft, Air Cushion) in an unorthodox way during the recent brushfires on Santa Catalina Island, about 20 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. The military knew the quickest way to get vehicles over to the island was by LCACs from Camp Pendleton Marine Base down in San Diego County, so they offered their services to the local firefighters. Resultantly, they were able to quickly bring lots of fire equipment into the fight in a hurry.
All told, the sealift delivered close to 50 fire engines to the island (six per trip). Along with the air-tanker support (both fixed– and rotor-wing), the fire was just barely kept out of Avalon, the only town on the island.
(Gouge: MA)
– Ward
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Doesn’t this sort of efficiency and quick thinking violate some Federal Law?
This was not a spur-of-the-moment adaptation. It was actually part of a long-standing disaster preparedness plan created by the LA County Sheriff (responsible for the island) and pre-negotiated with the Camp Pendleton commandant. Score one for thinking ahead.
simply,
Semper Fidelis.
Good Morning Folks,
I watch this operation unfold and happen almost minute by minute and the praise in the above story if far to modest for the Navy/Marine Team.
Here is a Log of that afternoon:
1:30 PM Fire reported on Catalina Islan above the city of Avlon.
2:00 PM Governor notified, ask for military assistence.
2:30 PM Security restrictions at Camp Pendleton were being waved and the first fire engines, from Camp Pendleton were on the ramp to be loaded on LCATS.
3:00 PM first Civillian fire equipment waved through the main gate and escorted to LCAT ramp.
3:30 PM First LCAT ready to go with marine fire fighting equipment on the way.
5:30 PM First LCAT on the beach at Catlina Island off loading equipment. One error in the story above the number of pieces of fire equipment transported to Catalina by LCAT was closer to 150 not 50 as stated.
6:30 PM Fire equipment from the mainland is at the fire scene and fighting fire.
Besides providing a ride to fire fighters and there equipment the Navy/Marine Team set up a communications net to cordinate the air/ ground/military/civilan efforts to fight the fire.
Navy/Marine Team C4 provided aid to civilian officials for the orederly evecuation of Avlon and help provide security to the town of Avalon. There are no known problems of looting or injury.
This was a surperb effort by the Navy/Marine Team in time of crisis and is a 180 degrees from the fiasco of 2003 during the Southern California Wildfires where Military men and equipment sat idle and did nothing because of bureacrfatic bumbling.
Again well done Navy/Marine Team.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
“Resultantly”? Oh, I pray to God and all His little angelinos that that moosh-mish never gets forced into the language. I’d have to go postal as a consequent!
Bravo, speed and efficiency at it’s finest.
Thanks Civil Tongue for the information on pre-planning. This does not take anything away from the Marines/Navy. It just goes to show that pre-planning, something that the military should be expert at, does prevent piss poor performance.
I’m glad to hear that a Sheriff’s Dept, even the LA Sheriff’s Dept, knows this.
Now, how many Gulf Coast governments know this after Katrina?
With the great job the Marine and the Navy did at Catalina to help out the poor civilians who refused to raise the proper taxes to fight their own fires that they needed welfare from the military. It seems to me that we need to put the military on the American-Mexican border until Congress keeps it word to prevent illegal immigration whom Congress is waving the white flag of defeat on our sovereignty!