Mrs. Irwin's English and AP lit students may not be at school, but her classroom is getting plenty of use.
"To have this support and assistance is second to none," says CAL FIRE Capt. Jordan Motta. "We greatly appreciate it."
Motta says typically for this team, ordering resources like additional crews for the Creek Fire would be working out of tight spaces, like trailers set up on fairgrounds or empty lots.
But COVID-19 restrictions meant CAL FIRE would have to rethink that model. With more than 18,000 firefighters on 26 major fires across the state, campuses like Sierra High School serve as command posts.
In addition to classrooms that allow for social distancing between departments, the school is now a hub for thousands of firefighters across several agencies and states.
"They come in to get re-supplied, they get all their tools replaced," Motta said. "Any hose they left out on the line, they come for feeding, laundry, showers, sleeping, the crew wakes up in the morning and gets briefed."