() For those looking to jump into action and to help fight the ferocious California wildfires, fire departments say they aren’t taking volunteers. 

Amid terrible fires that have taken the lives of more than 20 people and scorched thousands of acres in the Los Angeles area, there has been an outpouring of desire to help, some from people wanting to volunteer as firefighters. 

However, fire departments do not take volunteers for many reasons, including safety and liability. 

“For safety reasons, the Bureau of Land Management does not permit untrained citizens to volunteer in wildland firefighting efforts,” the agency posted.

Local departments are sending the same message.  

“We don’t just take volunteers off the street to come help out,”  Edwin Zuniga, a public information officer with Cal Fire, told USA Today. 

Zuniga told the outlet that fire departments will rely on firefighters from other departments who have the training and response experience to help them if they do not have personnel.

“Those people are well trained, and they’re trained to the standard of what the agency is responsible to enforce,” he said. 

Fire departments in California and other parts of the country have standards they must meet when training their personnel, he added. 

While there are fire departments that take volunteer firefighters, like the Los Angeles Fire Department, those volunteers are fully trained and must pass several tests before they are certified to fight fires. 

As California first responders have been working around the clock, both Mexico and Canada have sent reinforcements as backup.

Mexico sent 72 firefighters to Los Angeles on Saturday, and disaster relief workers from the National Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Defense in Mexico also arrived to assist local emergency workers.

Canada sent air tankers and dozens of firefighters to Los Angeles, its government said.

More personnel and equipment from Ontario, Quebec and Alberta are ready to be mobilized, according to government officials, and a team of senior technical staff members from British Columbia will fill specialized roles, the government said.

“We both know that Canada and the United States are more than just neighbours,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on X on Friday. “We’re friends especially when times get tough. California’s always had our back when we battle wildfires up north. Now, Canada’s got yours.”

The LA-area wildfires have ravaged homes, displacing thousands who need basic necessities, so for those determined to be in the field, several aid organizations are taking volunteers.