An Oregon Department of Forestry strike team of fire engines dispatched to New Mexico last week is seeing lots of action fighting wildfires in the Bernalillo area outside of Albuquerque. On arrival the strike team, consisting of 10 ODF and three Coos Forest Protective Association personnel with five fire engines, was immediately assigned to initial-attack operations.
A rash of fires across the state has spread local resources thin. Prior to the Oregon team’s arrival, New Mexico was making do with only one fire engine per million acres.
While in New Mexico, the crews will be paid by the jurisdictional agency on the fires. ODF considers the out-of-state deployment a valuable opportunity for its firefighters to maintain and develop their skills required for national certification.
