Stab Interview: A Former Stab High Money-Winner Is On The Frontline Of The L.A. Wildfires

Editor’s note: In light of the tragedy in Los Angeles, we’ve made this Premium article free for all to read. If you are looking for ways to help from afar, you can access this Google Doc made by Mutual Aid LA that has vetted organizations as well as evacuation sites for those near the fires.

At Stab High Indonesia In 2020, Kevin Schulz broke his hand trying an air at the very beginning of the trip — leading everyone to believe he’d be pulling out of the event and on his way back home.

Kevin had other plans. He bandaged his own hand up and was back in the water that very same day. It was a testament to the kind of grit and determination Schulzy possesses. Not to mention he’s also one of the most genuine, kind people you’ll meet in surfing.

And while he didn’t win that Stab High, Kevin did take home the inaugural “Freak Peak” award at the Stab High Waco 2019 for a flip that won him irrevocable respect from all in attendance — and $10,000.

After serving six full and honorable seasons on the QS from 2014 – 2019, Kevin saw the writing on the volatile surfing industry’s wall and made a decision at the beginning of COVID to follow in his dad’s footsteps and start the process of becoming a full-time firefighter.

“When that COVID year hit I started to become very mindful of what my long-term career path could look like, and and I started thinking about building a family and wanting to still be able to surf and travel. I always looked up to my dad who just retired from firefighting after 35 years and had an amazing career,” Kevin said. “So, I got my EMT license and then got hired onto the Los Angeles County Fire Department on their ‘hand crew’. I was there for a year and a half and then just recently got hired on the Orange County Fire Authority as a full-time career firefighter.”

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This is a hell of a time for a young firefighter to begin his career. There are currently seven wildfires burning in and around the Los Angeles area. It is, already, the most “destructive fire event in L.A. history,” having scorched over 37,000 acres of land and 10,000 homes, as well as taking the lives of at least 16 people — with those numbers forecast to rise with more Santa Ana winds expected into next week. The state of California has already deployed 47,000 firefighters, six air tankers, 31 helicopters, and 1,002 fire engines to fight this “apocalyptic” scenario. Currently, the fires are only about 11% contained.

Nevertheless, Kevin and his crew remain steko on the front lines. For this Stab Interview, we caught Kevin on a break between 24-hour shifts.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen — it’s like nothing anybody’s ever seen,” Kevin told Stab. “There’s just mass destruction everywhere and so many people are losing their homes. It’s just so sad to see. And it’s kind of crazy because even though we don’t want to be, a lot of us are almost desensitized to it all because of how much we’ve seen over the past couple days.”

Kevin broke down for us what exactly these past four days have been like with — literally — boots on the ground.

“When we were called up from Orange County and put on the fires, we all did 48-50 hours straight. It’s what’s called an “initial attack.” After that initial burst, we start doing shifts with the other crews, so right now it’s 24 hours on, 24 hours off, which is why I’m able to talk right now. Amid all the chaos and devastation it’s been amazing to see the community support each other and they’ve taken such good care of us. No matter what you might hear on social media or TV, the vast majority of people have been nothing but selfless and heroic here in LA. I haven’t personally seen any looters, but we know that is happening as well as some arsonists — I haven’t seen it myself, but that’s tragic.”

We asked Kevin for more details on the logistics of how these colossal fires are being fought.

“It’s a top-down chain of command here. There is a control center that assesses the situation and then filters orders down through the captains and then down to us. We split into divisions and tackle specific parts of the fire with specific orders,” Kevin said. “Our order or priority is: Life, Property, then Environment. This type of fire is called a WUI or Wildland Urban Interface, and it’s one of the most unpredictable kinds of fires. We just try to concentrate on our area and save one person at a time, one building at a time, and then one part of the environment at a time.

As you can see, so much of what’s happening in Los Angeles is analogous to a war effort, as people battle the same common enemy we’ve been facing since the dawn of humanity.

“We have quite a few attack methods when we get to an area,” Kevin said. “When we first arrived to the Palisades, my partner and I were assigned to ‘Structure Protection’ immediately, as everyone had already evacuated. We begin hooking up fire hydrants, identifying structures that can be saved, forming ‘attack lines’ around the perimeter, and getting on the hoses to put out the fire. Then, you can start using hand tools, chainsaws, and bigger machines to clear space and make little firebreaks to prevent the flames from spreading. While we’re doing that on the ground, we are communicating with attack helicopters and air tankers that will come and drop water and fire retardant lines down on the area to give even more support.”

We didn’t want to take too much of Kevin’s precious rest time, but we did ask him for an overview of what the next few days are going to look like for him and the 4,000+ firefighters that are on the Palisades fire — not to mention the other ones still burning throughout LA county.

“We have briefings every morning at 7 AM and then another one at 2 PM, so we’ll see bright and early tomorrow what the plan is. But there are more strong Santa Ana winds kicking up tomorrow and through next week, which will likely make things even worse. That’s definitely on peoples’ minds. Here on the ground we don’t really have cell service and we’re just focused on what’s in front of us, but the command center has eyes on the whole situation. I think we’ve got a long ways to go still.”

We asked Kevin for some insight on how best to help our firefighters and LA at this time.

“I really want to emphasize just how much work is going into these fires. Everyone is just busting their ass and doing the best they can. And not just firefighters, there is so much organization that goes into this from government agencies and aid organizations. It’s so hard to stress just how large an effort this is and how much amazing work is going on,” Kevin said.

“In terms of people taking care of us, we are already being taken very good care of. We have everything we need in terms of food, drinking water, supplies, and the rest. I think people can help by donating to organizations like the Red Cross and other charities. It’s also important to note that even if you’re not in a mandatory evacuation site, it’s best to leave if you can to avoid smoke inhalation and other dangers.”

Kevin closed with this reminder: “We are doing our very best down here on the ground. I just want people to take care of themselves and their families and remove themselves from harm. And I want them to know how appreciative we all are for their support.”

If you are looking for ways to help from afar, you can access this Google Doc made by Mutual Aid LA that has vetted organizations as well as evacuation sites for those near the fires.

Also, in respect to those in our surf community directly affected, we want to give a shoutout to lifelong lensman Daren Crawford, who lost absolutely everything in the fire while he was off filming Natural Selection this past week — all his hard drives, slides, water housings, RED cameras, film cameras, classic vinyl records and Reyn Spooner aloha shirts. All he has for personal items is the duffle bag he traveled to Micronesia with. If you feel so obliged to help a fellow surf-head in need, donate here.