When a fire breaks out, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation sends a crew right to the front lines.

The members of the Sycuan Golden Eagles Flycrew try to contain a blaze so it won't spread. "These guys are the tip of the spear,” Mitch Villalpando, the tribe's deputy fire chief, told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The work is dangerous but the firefighters enjoy being close to the action. “The fire gets the adrenaline kicking,” said Chad Webber, 23.

The tribe and the city of San Diego entered a partnership to share firefighting duties.

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Tribe's crew ‘tip of spear’ on fire lines (The San Diego Union-Tribune 8/12)