Connecticut fire crew departing for Virginia

(WTNH) -- A fire crew from Connecticut will be sent to Virginia to fight wild fires.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced on Saturday that a 20-person fire crew will be departing on Sunday, July 1st, at 7:30 a.m. from DEEP Eastern District Headquarters in Marlborough to assist the U.S. Forest Service in fighting wild fires in Virginia.

The crew, consisting of 11 DEEP employees and nine private-sector firefighters, will be deployed for up to two weeks.

The crew will be working the Neighbor Mountain fire in the Shenandoah National Forest, three miles northeast of Luray, Virginia. The crew will be mobilizing tomorrow morning and will then be transported by bus to the incident. The last time, a state fire crew deployed was in October 2011 to Minnesota.

DEEP maintains a roster of agency staff members and personnel from local fire departments who have been certified to fight forest or wildfires. Crew members must complete a rigorous training program and participate in an annual renewal course.

Connecticut maintains this firefighting capability to participate in a reciprocal aid program operated by the U.S. Forest Service. Under this program, trained personnel from other parts of the nation are available to assist Connecticut in the event of a fire emergency in return for the support of Connecticut personnel when needed.