Then there are the tell-tale signs that everyone notices: billowing clouds of smoke over the distant hill; humid, hazy afternoons, and the sudden influx of yellow, green and red fire trucks racing up and down HWY 154.

At first glance it may seem that a wildfire consists of only two parties—the fire and the firefighters, a sort of dueling-battle between man and the elements. While in the most literal form of fighting fires, this is true, it is an image that fails to take into account the planning, strategy, and expertise behind the men and women on the frontlines.

Frontline, strategy, expertise—sounds like a military war. And not unlike a military action, many of the components are very much the same: there is a body and a brain; one cannot exist without the other. In the case of the Zaca Fire, the “body” is dispersed all over the San Rafael Wilderness and Los Padres National Forest in the form of firefighting professionals from literally all over the state, and the “brain” is located just off HWY 154 at Live Oak Camp. Under the oak grove that shelters the massive campground, just beyond Cachuma Lake, a small city has been erected containing the central nervous system that holds all the know-how required to fight California’s biggest wildfires.

This city was built in about a day—catering, showers, laundry, medical support, administration, communications and a battalion of experts who have gathered to do what they do best. But let’s back up a minute and paint a bigger picture. Since the Zaca Fire began on the morning of July 4^th, approximately 15 miles Northeast of Buellton, the fire has burned an average of 1,500 acres per day. It is estimated that 500-600 acres burned in the first few hours signaling what fire experts call the “trigger points” of the first stage of a fire, indicating that it’s going to be a big one.

When the Zaca Fire ignited from a welding operation on a private ranch, the Rancho Wildfire had just been extinguished after three days and less than 500 acres burned. The base camp at Live Oak, which had been set up for the Rancho Fire, was in the process of deconstruction when the call came in about the new Zaca Wildfire Fire. Calls went out immediately to Cal Fire Incident Command team #9, Santa Barbara Country Fire and USFS Los Padres National Forest. Nearly 2000 firefighters, strategists and fire experts from all over California descended on base camp within 48 hours of the first call, and Live Oak sprung to life again.

“It takes serious organization to manage that many people overnight,” says the Logistical Facilities Unit Leader, Larry Williams, of the Ventura County Fire Department. “In order to do so a hierarchy of command has been established.”

 The model by which the fire teams organize their central command was developed in the 70’s based on a military flow chart called “Fire Scope”, and the structure is always the same, no matter the location.

At the top of the chart there’s one, and often, several Incident Commanders (I.C.) who possess decades of experience and the cool-temper required to keep things calm, organized and moving efficiently. The subheadings under I.C. are Finance, Planning, Logistics and Operations, which themselves possess myriad subheadings. In addition to the primary functions there is Safety, which is base camp’s self-regulating arm that insures the laws and polices of camp and the field are abided by; Information, which is a team responsible for disseminating accurate information to the media and general public; and two Liaisons, a resident archeologist and a Chumash Tribal Representative responsible for voicing any tribal concern, as well as marking scared sites and important artifacts potentially in harms way.

With so many moving parts, one would assume that base camp is a place of chaos. On the contrary, it is busy, but quiet and friendly, chalk full of people focused on the single purpose of extinguishing a fire as quickly and safely as possible.

Base Camp is built around what they call ‘Main Street’, parallel rows of freestanding trailers that P.I.O (Public Information Officer) in training, Shawn Sternick, compares to the executive wing of a major corporation.  Main Street houses all the primary headings mentioned above, as well as people like the Planning Section Chief, Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Contingency Planning, Cost Apportionment Unit, Training Specialist, Ordering, Equipment, and the Situation Unit. At the end of Main Street a massive white tent hosts the morning and afternoon briefing meetings for all the department heads.

Briefing Tent, Photo by Leanne Elliot

From there, base camp unfurls into trailers housing service contractors from all over California. Abel Fire Equipment provides 24 hour laundry and shower facilities. Vince from Smith Gate, Yosemite services chainsaws around the clock.  Michelle’s Copy Service from Riverside provides hundreds of copies of maps and what they call I.A.P. (Incident Action Plans), a document containing all vital stats on the fire’s progression, the crews’ location and up-to-the-minute plan of action.

Mobile Showers, Photo by Leanne Elliot

At the mobile kitchen, just north of Main Street, low-risk inmates from several counties prepare three meals a day for an average of 1500 people. Small teams from the California Conservation Corp (C.C.C.) collect trash, dig trenches, keep camp roads clear of debris and prepare water and supply-provisions for helicopter delivery to the field. In the supply unit, the C.C.C. inventories and monitors a virtual sea of boxes overflowing with new fire gear to replace anything damaged or burned in the line of duty. At the bottom of the hill, the equipment maintenance team services trucks, bull dozers and heavy machinery to keep them field-ready.

“Nothing goes unnoticed,” says Williams from his command trailer on ‘Main Street’. “We recycle; we sanitize beverage coolers to prevent spread of disease; bathrooms are serviced twice a day; if a stationary crew needs a port-a-potty, more water, extra food we have heli-transport on call 24 hours a day.” It is, at first, second, and third glance a kind of efficiency and team work that would be envied by most who have worked in any kind of organization.

At the end of the day, base camp is all about creating the foundation for the firefighters to do their jobs. “An average firefighter works 12 to 24 hours in a shift, so when they come back to camp it’s important we’re ready for them,” says Manny Madrigal, a veteran firefighter, 35 years with the Forest Service. Now working as a P.I.O., Madrigal remembers a time before private showers and laundry service. “We had wooden pallets and a hose. That was our shower.”

When asked if he thinks the increase in creature comforts over the last ten years makes a difference in fighting fires, Madrigal gives a resounding, “Yes!”

“Moral booster,” he says. “Every little thing helps keep the guys and gals motivated and feeling supported.”

Although the team of base camp contractors works around the clock to insure the morale stays high, the community has a hand in the matter as well. Donated food is prohibited in base camp, and all the financial needs are provided by the state, but that hasn’t stopped valley residents and local stores like Los Olivos Grocery and Albertson’s from teaming up to make free food and supplies available to the firefighters when out in our community.

The I.P.O.s agree, what serves the frontline most is having the community vocalize support and appreciation for their hard work. As valley residents we are encouraged to make signs, introduce ourselves when we see firefighters in our neighborhood and remember to say thank you for keeping our community safe. To the men and women out in the back-of-beyond and at base camp alike, this is why they’re here—our safety. It is the most important component in the anatomy of a fire.