CAMP RILEA, Ore. – Wildland firefighter training wrapped up at this military training center on the Oregon coast today for some 300 Oregon National Guard members.
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| Above: ODF Protection Unit Forester Neal Bond fires a very pistol (a type of flare gun) to start a controlled fire at Camp Rilea, a military training center. Oregon National Guard members practiced hands-on firefighting techniques at the fire to get ready for this summer. |
Sixteen instructors from the Oregon Department of Forestry, Washington Department of Natural Resources, National Wildfire Suppression Association and Oregon Office of Emergency Management participated guided the Guard members through classroom and field exercises to get them ready for deployment later this summer to wildfires across the state.
Last year, more than 700 Oregon National Guard members were mobilized during the peak of fire season to help firefighters battle a number of persistent large wildfires statewide. That year, Guard members did not receive the week-long training until they were mobilized. This year, thanks to changes in how federal training funds can be used, the Guard could train before being mobilized to a wildfire.
ODF’s Deputy Chief of Fire Protection Russ Lane said several hundred other Oregon Guard troops who trained last year have completed or soon will complete required refresher training. That gives the state access to the same number of Oregon National Guard member as last year.
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“By training Guard members ahead of when they will be needed, we can get Guard members to a fire about five to six days sooner than in the past,” said Lane. “That can make a huge difference in freeing up our resources to respond to other large wildfires.”
Holding the training earlier in the summer also frees up instructors during peak fire activity, Lane said, making them available to help their agencies manage wildfires.