Maricopa fire official deployed to Yarnell Hill blaze

In the wake of a Yavapai County forest blaze that claimed the lives of 19 firefighters Sunday, a Maricopa fire official has been deployed to the scene to assist crews with disseminating information about the fire to the public.

Firefighter and paramedic Brad Pitassi of the Maricopa Fire Department also works as a public information officer for the Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team. The crew is one of 16 teams around the country deployed when large-scale and complex disasters strike – usually wildfires. 

An incident management team handles the response efforts at a disaster site. Team members are experts in areas that include safety, planning, logistics and finance. There are five types of incident management teams with the lowest type number signifying a larger and more complex disaster. 

Maricopa Fire spokesman Jon Sheaffer said Pitassi was deployed Sunday. The Maricopa firefighter could not be reached for comment Monday. 

On Pitassi’s Twitter account @bpitassi, the firefighter tweeted Monday: “On my way to the Yarnell Hill Fire and just watched the procession with lost Firefighters pass by. Rest in peace and God speed.” 

Lightning started the Yarnell Hill fire on June 28; it is located about 30 miles southwest of Prescott, according to the Arizona State Forestry Division. As of Monday evening, the blaze had burned more than 8,300 acres. The nearby towns of Yarnell and Peeples Valley have been evacuated. 

Sheaffer said Pitassi is usually deployed to various disasters in the Southwest area from May to September during the wildfire season. He said Pitassi’s role with the management team is not only to speak with members of the media but also disseminate information to people affected by the disaster.