MCKINNEY (1080 KRLD)- Most people run from fires. But some North Texans are running to some of the biggest fires, thousands of miles away.
McKinney Firefighter and Paramedic Quincy Blount is part of a group of Texas firefighters battling blazes in hard-hit California.
But why would a firefighter volunteer to travel for weeks, states away, to battle someone else's fires?
"I know what these guys in California are going through. We go through it in Texas every once in a while," says Blount. "If I was back home and we were having these fires and I was having to fight them every day, I'd want someone to come help us."
But it's exhausting work. And it's incredibly dangerous.
Last week, a volunteer firefighter from Cresson died when she was overtaken by a fire she was working in northern California.
Blount says their specific training for wildfires is crucial in staying out of trouble. The firefighters who are actively working on the fire line have other teammates looking out for changes in the fire or wind direction, that could potentially lead to problems.
"That takes a lot of (the danger away)," says Blount. "Having those lookouts, having those guys watching each other's back to help us all get home safe."
Because that's the goal. Even though these firefighters run to the danger, they want to be able to see the families they left in North Texas again.