Members of the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew have traveled to western Montana to assist with national and Canadian wildfire response, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday.
The CIFC is a volunteer firefighting team, organized under the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The organization participates in a reciprocal aid program, meaning that the crew assists in fire emergencies in different states. In return, personnel from firefighting crews throughout the nation are available to assist if a fire emergency occurs in Connecticut.
Sixteen CIFC members will help battle fires in Montana, including 12 from Connecticut. The team also includes firefighters from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. Three of the Connecticut firefighters are also DEEP staff members.
Among the crew deploying to Maine are firefighters from the following Connecticut towns:
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- Cheshire
- Coventry
- East Berlin
- Enfield
- Lebanon
- Milford
- Norwich
- Stratford
- Tolland
Lamont and DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes thanked the crew for their bravery.
“Interstate compacts are critical in times of emergency, providing lifesaving resources to our friends in need when a crisis occurs,” Lamont said. “The Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew is comprised of an amazing group of people who are dropping everything at a moment’s notice to travel hundreds of miles away and provide assistance."
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The team departed for Montana from Bradley International Airport Tuesday morning.
Members of the CIFC team also helped fight fires the Québec and Nova Scotia, Canada, this year.
