Oregon to Receive Out-of-State Assistance to Combat Multiple Wildfires

On Sunday, the Oregon State Fire Marshal and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) announced that they are bringing in out-of-state firefighters and equipment to help fight several wildfires impacting communities and resources across the state.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized two task forces from Washington to add structural firefighter capacity. The two task forces are from Snohomish, Thurston, and Grays Harbor counties with 29 firefighters, eight engines, and two water tenders. The task forces are assigned to the Falls Fire in Harney County.

Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said:

“We are bringing in additional support from the Washington fire service for the Falls Fire, (due to) the severe drawdown of Oregon resources, and the anticipated weather conditions. Our strong relationship with the Washington fire service is invaluable, especially during their responses to Oregon in 2017 and 2020. We have a robust response system that transcends borders and supports our mutual missions. I can’t thank the Washington fire service enough for their quick and reliable response to Oregon’s needs.”

The ODF has received more than 58 resources from New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and Florida to assist in the Salt Creek and Larch Creek Fire. The agency will receive 13 more firefighters from Florida in the coming days to assist the agency’s Incident Management Team 3 and other severity efforts.

A total of 71 resources are coming to Oregon through state-to-state mutual aid agreements and the Northwest Compact. The compact was created to facilitate assistance in wildland fire pre-suppression and suppression efforts between member agencies, which include Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories.