San Francisco firefighters use vacation time to help Maui residents

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - San Francisco first responders are on the way to Maui on their own time.

Members of the San Francisco Asian Firefighters Association (SFAFA) volunteered to assist in Lahaina relief efforts. They took off from Oakland International Tuesday morning.

The Association President Stan Lee explained why they're helping Maui residents saying, "As a firefighter, its hard for us to sit back and not do anything. We're all going on our vacation time. As volunteers, we're not getting paid to be there. We're just trying to go there and help."

A crew of nine firefighters from Petaluma has also been dispatched to Maui.