A fire engine displaying a Mercer Island insignia is part of an Eastside Fire & Rescue (EF&R) crew that is currently in California and will soon be helping fight the catastrophic Palisades wildfire.

The crew is presently situated at an inspection site in Davis, California, and includes eight EF&R firefighters and two strike team leaders that are driving two type-one engines and two SUV command vehicles, according to EF&R Public Information Officer Catherine Breault.

EF&R’s crew is part of a caravan that began heading south at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 9 and includes firefighters and vehicles from Bothell, Kirkland, Shoreline and Fall City.

During the inspection process, equipment and red cards are checked to ensure that crews are not sending in faulty equipment or putting anybody at risk, Breault said.

“And then once they get the go-ahead, they’ll proceed,” she added. “Our strike team leaders are the Washington strike team leaders, which is amazing, so they’ll be leading the Washington teams.”

The city of Mercer Island noted in a social media post: “We’re proud of our firefighters for all they do and thank this crew for their efforts against this devastating wildfire, which is only 6% contained. Safe travels.”

Residents flooded the city’s Facebook page with comments, including, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. My mom lost her home there”; “Heroes!!!!”; and “I’m proud that we can help out.”

Breault said like all EF&R deployments, this one is slated to last up to two weeks.

“They’re assigned right now and then it’ll be as needed until they are relieved of their assignment,” she said.

The fire broke out on Jan. 7 and California officials requested aid later in the week by contacting the Washington state governor’s office. The next step included that office apprising the fire departments’ zone coordinators, who met with a regional team to see what resources Washington could provide and then they devised an aid plan.

“We feel like we can safely provide those resources without affecting our own ability to protect and serve our own community,” Breault said.

Bloodworks Northwest issued a message on Jan. 10 that Washington residents are needed to — during the California wildfires and other disasters — “step up and help build a critical blood supply for both our region and those in need across the country.”

For information, visit: www.bloodworksnw.org

The Reporter will update this story when more information becomes available.