Appreciation from the IC

Dear Community Members,

On behalf of the California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 and the Sherpa Fire Unified Command, I want to thank you for the goodwill and cooperation shown to us as we managed the Sherpa Fire.

Thank you for the continuous support you showed to the firefighters and other emergency responders who labored so hard to stop the fire. I repeatedly saw and heard expressions of your appreciation for what they did.

Every day, firefighter safety and the welfare of people affected by the fire were foremost in our thoughts.

Suppressing the Sherpa Fire was a cooperative effort. Federal, state and local agencies and organizations came together to provide the mix of resources needed to mitigate the fires and provide community protection. Daily coordination with community representatives, landowners, support agencies and other leaders aided us in creating strategies that best fit local needs. They were invaluable assets.

Our suppression efforts built on the work accomplished by the interagency fire personnel who initially fought the fire and the unified incident management teams that preceded our arrival – our success is their success too.

As climate changes, so will fire seasons. This is still very early in the fire season. You are fortunate to have strong interagency cooperation in Santa Barbara County. This will serve you well in the future.

As we depart, I extend my best wishes to the people affected by the Sherpa Fire. Your generous actions reflect positively on your communities.

Rocky W. Opliger is the incident commander for California Interagency Incident Management Team 4.