Firefighters from Mexico respond to Texas Hill Country flooding, marking an international response

[u/H0sedragg3r]

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/07/07/firefighters-from-mexico-respond-to-texas-hill-country-flooding-marking-an-international-response/

[u/Darth_Waiter]

Mexico always sends firefighters to fight wildfires in America and Canada. They deploy to aid in hurricane and disaster relief in the gulf coast and Texas too, at times when the National Guard was still shuffling its feet and FEMA responses were days away.

Now we don’t even have that.

They’re sending their best people.

[u/splinter4244 → u/Darth_Waiter]

There’s a HUGE difference between Mexico actually sending resources vs organizations VOLUNTEERING to help out.

[u/RescueDriverDiver]

I’ve heard Mexican FF referenced as among the world’s most reverent, generous, and ambitious fire teams in the world. They travel to the U.S. and Canada all the time to support our fires too, right?

[u/organicdelivery]

Viva la Bomberos!

[u/tamman2000 → u/organicdelivery]

My spanish is rusty, but shouldn't it be "los"

[u/pirate_12 → u/tamman2000]

Si

[u/RedAlpaca02]

It’s great to see our neighbors come help us every year. We should be doing the same. Canada and Mexico are allies who should be embraced.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314]

So the national guard was in California and FEMA is shut down. At least the pros from Mexico showed up.

[u/HomelessRodeo → u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314]

Texas has their own NG and SG.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314 → u/HomelessRodeo]

Did they show up ?

[u/L_DUB_U → u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314]

Yes a long with TIFMAS and two state task forces.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314 → u/L_DUB_U]

The two FEMA task force teams ? How many teams are stood up at one time nationwide and how many states would normally be represented at an event this size ?

[u/wes25164 → u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314]

The Texas A&M Task Force. TF 1 and 2 were activated at the beginning of the incident, TF 3 was activated yesterday morning. Between all three task force assets and TIFMAS groups, you're looking at more than 1300 personnel.

There's not enough routine with events of this magnitude to compare and contrast different responses. Different events call for different resources, and time between events represents lessons learned from prior events. Also, remember your incident command system, not all of these resources are just stood up and ready in the event of one event happening, these things have to be activated, the framework already in place for an incident to be built in. It's not a bunch of inter-state teams being activated all at once. But an event can be scaled as big or as small as is needed.

[u/L_DUB_U → u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314]

Yes, the two FEMA task forces that are activated by the Governor of the State and when a nation wide request comes in the Governor approves the activation. FEMA doesn't own much for responses, they only pay for the response. The task forces are composed of many people who specialize in specific skills. They have 3 groups with one group on standby for a 30 day cycle. They have to be able to be at College Station within a certain time frame when activated.

Texas is pretty proactive for wildfires and flooding. Typically they will have strike teams for wildfires prepositioned in the area of high fire danger to be able to respond. Typically they have boat teams in areas where flooding is expected. Unfortunately, in events like this you can never be prepared enough or have enough resources in the exact area to prevent a event like this from happening.

I am not sure how many out of state teams are currently in Texas. Texas has TIFMAS which can pull resources from every fire department in the state that has the equipment and specialized skills that the incident needs. Unless helicopters, airplanes, or some type of equipment that you don't normally see in fire station isn't needed or immediately available, it can come from within the state. A good point is the coast guard helicopters with rescue swimmers. Not many city or state agencies have helicopters and rescue swimmers, so the request is made thru FEMA for those federal resources.

[u/sortofnormaldude → u/Puzzleheaded-Bag8314]

FEMA is active in texas and has been since the 6th.

The texas NG, to include the air guard, has been active, along with elements of DHS (BORSTAR and coast guard), and organizations from across texas and other states have been there.

Quit acting like no one showed up except mexico just to push your own narrative

[u/Firefighting-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Imagine reading and following the subreddit's rules. Posts involving policy or politics must be directly related to firefighting, framed in a factual, neutral manner, and focus on policy and not personalities. Comments must be directly related to the topic/policy being discussed. Comments that are little more than insults or raging will be removed. Moderators may use their discretion in enforcing this rule. "Conspiracy" content is also not permitted.

[u/TheAlmightyTOzz]

Always our ally

[u/wes25164]

All of you making political arguments while the incident is still ongoing are disgusting.

The fire service calls you to be compassionate in your regard to your fellow man, and entertaining that topic of conversation while bodies are still being recovered and individuals are still unaccounted for is the opposite of compassion. You forfeit any legitimacy to your claims while you clutch your pearls and sit on a supposed high horse.

You are a joke. Reevaluate your priorities.

[u/wes25164 → u/[deleted]]

I think you need to not tell a stranger on the internet to calm down.

They're still looking for victims, who are most likely dead.

Boots are still on the ground, my captain a pair of them.

Is it too much to ask the multitude of keyboard warriors to hold their political opinions for another day?

[u/wes25164 → u/[deleted]]

What the fuck are you talking about?? What the fuck is there for me to "lock in" to?

My issue is with the multitude of mutts who can't keep their political opinions to themselves about an ongoing incident, what the fuck does that have to do with my ability to do my job? What's basic about that??

It sounds like you take issue with my statement and are digging for something completely off-topic to belittle me with. You have no clue who I am, how long I've done this job, nor just how good I am at my job.

Any rational, compassionate provider would be appalled at the mutts injecting their own politics into this disaster. It flies in the face of the oath. If you even remotely care about the job, that shit should upset you.

Maybe reevaluate where you're coming from.

[u/wes25164 → u/[deleted]]

I guess somebody didn't like what I had to say, so I'll say it again:

You're 27. You have no business calling anybody "young". I've been doing this job since you were a freshman in high school. Maybe don't make assumptions so you can belittle somebody you don't know on the internet.

If you cared about the job, the mindless politicization should upset you. That's not a "basic concept", that's bullshit. You're saying nonsense just to talk and sound more important. How about we just don't politically slant anything while the incident is ongoing? How about just acting like a decent human being?

[u/Firefighting-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Posts involving policy or politics must be directly related to firefighting, framed in a factual, neutral manner, and focus on policy and not personalities. Comments must be directly related to the topic/policy being discussed. Comments that are little more than insults or raging will be removed. Moderators may use their discretion in enforcing this rule. "Conspiracy" content is also not permitted.