For the second time this year, the Bakersfield Fire Department will deploy a water rescue team to assist Merced County in the next round of storms set to hit the Central Valley over the weekend. The six-member water rescue team was dispatched under the California Master Mutual Aid System Thursday morning. Back in January, members of the water team made several rescues in the Merced area, according to a release from the department. The Kern County Fire Department has also activated its Incident Management Team as an early precaution to the forecasted storms. The team increased firefighter staffing and strategically placed equipment throughout Kern to quickly respond to any emergencies throughout the weekend.