19 Oregon firefighters help battle ‘out of control’ wildfires in New Mexico
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Department of Forestry is sending 19 firefighters to New Mexico to help fight several “out of control” wildfires, officials announced Friday.
The department said this will help firefighters “brush up on their skills” ahead of Oregon’s fire season peak later in the summer.
So far, in 2024, Oregon has deployed dozens of firefighters to other states to fight wildfires – including sending nearly 50 firefighters to Texas, 14 to Alaska, five to California, and several others to Tennessee, Washington, and Florida.
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Those states have also sent firefighters and equipment to Oregon when wildfires exceed local capacity, officials said.
ODF Fire Protection Division Chief Chris Cline said these mutual agreements with other states help “bolster the complete and coordinated fire protection system across the continent and create a cache of reciprocal resources for all of us to call on when needed.”
“We do our best to answer the call when it comes in from any of our wildland partners as we’ve been on the other side of the equation and we understand how difficult it can be to need help so desperately,” said Cline. “But know that we don’t share these resources without appropriate vetting. Before committing to any out-of-state deployment, we make sure that our own fire management system is still adequately staffed and ready to respond to fires here in Oregon. Serving Oregonians is our first and primary priority.”
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