As the wildfires in and around Bastrop, TX kicked off this weekend, a message went viral on Facebook and other social media outlets calling for firefighters, ANY firefighters. I caught this posted on the Facebook page of a NYC teacher with no connection to a fire department:
"ATTENTION TEXAS AND SURROUNDING AREAS.. THEY NEED FIREMEN!!!! Begging for retired and any fireman to call number to help. We were short 25 fireman last night. Cannot contain town of Bastrop, 35 miles away...fire is 16 miles long, 6 miles wide, jumped Colorado river, evacuated entire town and also neighborhood called Steiner ranch of 5500* PLEASE EVERYONE REPOST EVEN IF NOT IN TEXAS.. SOME OF YOUR FRIENDS MAY BE. HELP!! Call 512-978-1187 Please REPOST"
The message spread faster than the fires and firefighters showed up by the truck load, only to be turned away (and rightfully so) by state and federal reps.
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/09/08/volunteers_turned_away_from_fi.html
