A Facebook post published by the Kern County Firefighters Monday evening stated "Did you know that your Kern County Fire Department may not be able to staff FIRE HANDCREWS this fire season (2018)?" As of Tuesday evening, it was shared more than 550 times.
President Derek Robinson shared a screenshot with 23ABC of an email from a battalion chief last Thursday reading "There is no funding for crew 7, 10, 11 and P-79 this summer." He says handcrews are crucial to battling wildfires.
"Those guys are on the front lines every day. They do a lot of work as far as hazard reduction and that's not getting done so it's a direct impact on public safety," said Robinson.
KCFD Chief Brian Marshall said that information was true at the time, but KCFD has since moved money around and assigned a grant to get handcrews hired.