Fifteen Oregon Department of Forestry fire specialists have been deployed this week to assist fire suppression efforts in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
The largest commitment, 13 ODF specialists and the five fire engines they staff, were deployed to New Mexico to battle a series of fires that have consumed 343,000 acres of the state since mid-May. The fire engines were shipped on flatbed trucks, while the firefighters flew to New Mexico to be reunited with their fire apparatus on Thursday.
These assignments are helping Oregon fire personnel gain additional experience and keep current their national firefighting qualifications. ODF incurs no financial drain by assisting other states, since the jurisdictional agency hosting fire suppression operations pays the bills. As Oregon enters summer weather conditions, ODF’s fire managers will begin to pull back their personnel from the out-of-state assignments to be ready for wildfires here at home.
Kevin Weeks / Oregon Department of Forestry, Public Affairs Office