BEATRICE – When grass fires overwhelm local departments with small staff numbers in Nebraska, they have a place to turn to, for extra help.


A 3-and-33 Task Force based in Gage County recently sent extra personnel and equipment to central Nebraska to help fight fast-moving wildfires.  Taylor McHenry is head of the 3-and-33 Task Force. The Barneston Fire Chief is also Chairman of the 3-and-33 Mutual Aid Association.


"We're the only task force on this side of the state. Having a team ready to deploy at pretty much a moment's notice to these larger, especially extended multiple operation period incidents has proved invaluable to local jurisdictions. Most of the departments around here and all across the state, we face the same issues. We're understaffed and underfunded. So, any time we can call in help from other areas to come and assist us, that's always welcomed."


McHenry says some of the major fire incidents can last several days, with firefighters pulling twelve hour shifts….and that can exhaust local personnel.  "You just can't man a fire scene for 24 hours when they're all volunteers, leaving their jobs...it's tough to do that. We can go out, give them a two or three day break. They can get their equipment back into shape...get rested up, and then come back. Once the fire incident transitions back down to the local level, then we can leave and they can take it back over."


The task force in this area can be called out in other emergencies….such as tornadoes and floods. McHenry says a lot of what the task force does is help with mop-up of fire scenes.


"A lot of guys don't really care for that, because it's just mop-up...why are we wasting our time driving eight hours to do this. Well, because that's the most important part of the fire. If we're on a head fire line eight hours away...that's because it jumped containment lines and it's an active wildfire again. It's no different than around here. If you have a fire department going out mulitiple times to a rekindle, that's the result of a poor mop-up job the first time we were out there."


McHenry, a Federal Red Card-qualified firefighter, said the public sometimes questions applying local resources elsewhere….asking, what do we gain from it?  "Especially when you're talking a life-threatening, emergency situation....if you're questioning what you're gaining from it....you're probably in the wrong line of work."


McHenry says the cooperation has helped build relationships at the Nebraska Emergency Management Level and builds a bond with other fire departments across Nebraska, who someday could provide familiar faces to return the favor….helping out in a local fire or weather disaster.  "We've got help...We've got resources across the state, so I'd say that's the biggest thing we really gain from it. There's really nothing else to gain except sleeping well at night, knowing that you're helping people."


As to concern local jurisdictions could be left short-staffed when fighting fires elsewhere…..McHenry says that’s no different than what departments face every day.  Volunteer firefighters have regular jobs and if an area is short on personnel in responding to incidents, communication between departments brings in additional help from nearby units.


"When we're gone, the departments around us know we got to cover their areas. When you work with the same people all the time, you get a system down, and it just goes smoother."


Another example of getting help from beyond a local area is when Norris Public Power District crews were recently aided by members of other power districts, as they battled to restore power knocked out during a recent blizzard.