The community of Rescue is located in the region of northern California which is in the foothills of the Sierra mountains. It is a town with a population of about 5,744 residents. Most of District is in a high wildfire danger area, and in addition to that, there are few fire hydrants available. There are about 2,116 homes in the community, and generally, the population works a reasonably long distance away from their homes. The majority of houses are single family homes that are 30 years old or less and are a wood frame construction (according to the 2020 US Census). The Fire District has one staffed fire station that covers approximately 30 square miles, and has a mutual aid agreement in place between all the other fire agencies in El Dorado County.

Although there is a mutual aid system in the county which allows emergencies to be mitigated quickly, fire prevention is still performed by the local department. The tactics used by the Engine Company’s need to be up to date and more advanced as the development of homes into the forests have created a wildland-urban interface. Having a plan of attack not only to prevent and fight the fires are necessary but being able to recover from them as well is as essential