Conn. team to help with Calif. widefires

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (WTNH) -- It has been a very active year for wildfires out west. One group from Connecticut has packed their bags to head for California to lend a hand.

The group met at Bradley International Airport, but the planned trip is no summer getaway. The Capitol Region Incident Management Team is heading to California to help coordinate the response to a wildfire.

"We have people there that we are bringing that are going to train," said Bill Perkins, member of the team. "[They] are involved with documentation situational reporting safety officers.

The seven member team will be working in Northern California to help map out a strategy for a blaze in a remote area that has already burned 18,000 acres.

There is no pay check for the team, they all are doing it on their own time.

"We are going to be going out training with people who do this as a lifetime career, so the experience that we're going to be able to capture and bring back is going to be invaluable," said Perkins.

The team will be camping near the command center in smoky conditions. They will be on the job first thing Monday morning, Labor Day.