[Following is an excerpt from a message Oregon State Forester Doug Decker sent to Oregon Dept. of Forestry employees on July 1 regarding the recent tragedy in Arizona.]
By the nature of the profession, firefighters work side by side.
Today—side by side—we share our sorrow at yesterday’s loss of 19 firefighters, 18 of them members of a Hotshot crew, on Central Arizona’s Yarnell Hill Fire. This is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of wildland firefighting.
On behalf of the Department and Oregon’s broader wildland firefighting community, I have extended our thoughts and prayers to the families, co-workers and friends of these firefighters. Yesterday evening, I also offered Oregon’s ready support to Arizona State Forester Scott Hunt.
It will take time to establish exactly what led to this tragedy. This is a loud and clear statement that firefighting is serious business with the very highest of stakes. Protecting people, resources and property often means going into harm’s way. As we do this, we must keep safety and vigilance paramount.
These reminders are exactly on point for us at this moment. Our permanent and seasonal workforce is trained, in place, and putting out fires on a daily basis. Our Incident Management Team 1 is on assignment in Alaska, and several others of our staff are in Colorado and Arizona. The indicators point to a more-than-typically severe fire season in the West.
As the summer goes on, we, too, will encounter the most challenging of conditions: lightning, unpredictable winds, heavy fuels, and other conditions that demand our utmost attention to safety.
More broadly, we are in an era when weather and forest health conditions across much of the West suggest many challenging fire seasons ahead. However that future plays out, when all is done, our No. 1 priority is for everyone to return home safely.
There will be much more to come, as investigators sort through yesterday’s events, as memorial ceremonies are organized, and as the Yarnell Hill fire, which has destroyed a number of homes, continues to challenge firefighters.
Our fire protection work is vital to public health and safety, and to the protection of natural resources. It is widely appreciated. As you go about this difficult mission, I am counting on you to be safe.
Best,
Doug Decker