Here is the story. I believe Pendleton is the Marine boot camp for the west coast.
If the fire was bigger and not easily controlled, would the fire authorities ask/allow the recruits to help?
Marine Boot Camp is in San Diego.
This happens all the time. There are plenty of fire resources in California to draw on before they would go to recruits. For example, I’d wager that Pendleton has its own federal fire station.
I live close enough to Camp Pendleton to hear them when they shoot the big guns. It’s not the recruit training depot. One is in San Diego, the other in South Carolina.
Camp Pendleton has a fire department, and an agreement with the surrounding agencies for mutual aid in the time of an emergency. I doubt they would ever need the help of the Marines stationed there other than for things like traffic control, evacuation, moving assets, etc.
And in Paris Island SC.
Echoing previous comments, there are federal fire fighting crews aboard CamPen. The only time I recall military personnel fighting fires was a few years ago when there were several large fires buring in SD county. The Marine Corps and Navy offered use of their helicopters/crews to assist Cal Fire. Cal Fire resisted saying the MC/Navy pilots weren’t qualified. In reality they were more than qualified for certain tasks. Cal Fire was more concerned about establishing a precedent that would take work from union employees.
IANAP but I do know that flying at low altitudes over a major wildfire is a specialized skillset. I don’t see any reason why millitary crews could not do some of the spotting and SAR tasks, but I could see where they would be poorly equipped for direct firefighting duties or operating in close proximity to an active flame front.