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Joint Task Force Rattlesnake works to contain Caldor Fire

Videos by David Loeffler
California National Guard Public Affairs

Sept. 1, 2021

POLLOCK PINES, Calif. – As the Caldor Fire enters its third week and races toward South Lake Tahoe, service members with California National Guard's Joint Task Force Rattlesnake are investing sweat equity in the fire's containment.

As a Type I fire fighting hand crew, the task force unit is cutting a containment line on the south side of Jenkinson Lake in El Dorado County.

Their efforts includes digging hand lines and doing the mop up work needed to contain and finish putting out parts of a wildfire that has already burned more than 200,000 acres in two counties and is forcing evacuations or warnings in two more.

The team operates in direct support of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as CAL FIRE, and deploys with a Cal Fire captain as their lead.

Joint Task Force Rattlesnake is part of a fuel management and reduction team created by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 to proactively mitigate the dry brush and woodland debris that powers wildfires in the state.

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The NCOIC

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Scott Peterson describes his crew's mission near Jenkinson Lake.

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The Troop

Spc. Fabiola Chacon describes her role on the mission.

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The Californian

2nd Lt. Robert Smith, a California native, discusses the pride he feels in helping his home state.

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The Sawyer

Spc. Marcus Moran describes the day's burning operation in El Dorado County.