Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said eight of the Hot Shots crew decided not to return home but to stay in the U.S. and pursue employment opportunities.
The crew left Saipan on July 1 to join the national team fighting the forest fires.
The Hot Shots crew was not the first team to be sent to the U.S. to help combat fires, according to then-DPS Commissioner Clyde K. Norita.
He said the Hot Shots from CNMI joined the teams from Guam, American Samoa and Hawaii.
Norita said the call for deployment to help fight fires in the U.S. went to the civilian volunteers because of the department’s shortage of manpower.
Prior to their departure, Firefighter 11 Anthony Babauta, Hot Shots program manager, told Variety that the fire volunteers underwent intensive training and passed all the qualifying training requirements before being deployed.
He said the firefighting volunteers could stay and work until December this year after their 30-day deployment if there was a vacancy in Hot Shot posts in the U.S.
There were 32 volunteers who joined the firefighting training in April but only 19 were qualified to be sent off to the U.S.
CNMI sent 14 volunteers to help fight forest fires in the U.S. in 2004.
Last June 28, President Bush issued an emergency declaration for California and ordered federal agencies to assist firefighters.
