Oregon firefighters mobilized by the Office of State Fire Marshal to join firefighting efforts in California went to work today after arriving in California on Sunday.

Six strike teams, represented by Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple, of the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM), sent to the 350-acre Burris Fire in Mendocino County, received assignments this morning. Five of the teams are working to secure lines and mop up the Burris Fire, and one team was assigned to respond to a new incident called the Twin Fire.

Nine strike teams, represented by Assistant Chief Les Hallman of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, are responding to the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. As of this morning, the 66,231-acre fire had forced the evacuation of approximately 180,000 persons. Crews have been assigned this morning to support efforts to mitigate structure threats and construct control lines.

“It’s very humbling to be a part of a large scale mobilization of resources and see how quickly Oregon can respond in a time of need,” said State Fire Marshal Jim Walker. “To assemble 75 fire engines and 271 firefighters in a matter of hours to respond to our neighbors in need is extraordinary. I appreciate the more than 60 fire agencies that answered the call, the work of our OSFM staff and Office of Emergency Management in assembling the response, and Chief Hallman of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Chief Ruiz-Temple of OSFM in providing support for our firefighters while deployed to California. I truly appreciate all that you do.”

The deployment of the Oregon resources could last as long as 16 days.

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Fifteen strike teams comprised of members of the Oregon fire service arrived in California today and have been assigned to assist with separate wildfire incidents threatening structures and property.

Following a late afternoon briefing with California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection officials in Redding, California, Oregon’s strike teams are being deployed to two separate incidents.

One group, comprised of six strike teams, headed by Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple, of the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM), is being sent to the Burris Fire, a 250-acre fire in Mendocino County.

The second group, comprised of nine teams, headed by Assistant Chief Les Hallman of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, has been assigned to respond to the larger Kincaid Fire in Sonoma County.

The mobilized strike teams, comprising 271 personnel total, have been sent from the following counties: Klamath, Douglas, Yamhill, Linn, Columbia, Clatsop, Benton, Multnomah, Marion, Washington, Clackamas, Lincoln, Jackson, Josephine, and Lane Counties.

All teams from Oregon should be arriving at their staging areas around midnight tonight.

The OSFM mobilized the teams following a request through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) from California. The request allows for the OSFM to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS). The teams are comprised of Oregon’s structural firefighting agencies, which provide structural firefighting and all-hazards assistance.

The current deployment marks the third year in a row that the OSFM has mobilized strike teams through the OFMAS and deployed them to support firefighting efforts in California, following requests made through the EMAC.

In 2018, the OSFM sent three strike teams to the Mendocino Complex Fire starting in late July 2018, and then another 15 strike teams to the Camp Fire in November 2018. In October 2018, also through an EMAC request, the OSFM sent two incident management teams to Florida to respond to Hurricane Michael.

In November 2017, the OSFM mobilized 15 strike teams to respond to an EMAC request from California to fight wildfires. In December 2017, California sent another request for assistance on the Thomas Fire, near Ventura. The OSFM sent 15 strike teams in response.

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The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is mobilizing 15 strike teams to assist with the response to California wildfires.

Using its emergency mobilization plan, and following a request made through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), the OSFM has activated its Agency Operations Center and is sending the 15 strike teams today with equipment and personnel to join firefighting efforts. Teams will be arriving at staging areas by the end of day today.

The mobilized strike teams, comprising nearly 300 personnel total, will be sent from the following counties: Klamath, Douglas, Yamhill, Linn, Columbia, Clatsop, Benton, Multnomah, Marion, Washington, Clackamas, Lincoln, Jackson, Josephine, and Lane Counties.

“The Oregon Fire Service is ready to provide assistance to California,” said Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “The Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS) is robust and prepared to respond quickly when these formal requests are received.”

California made the request through the EMAC, a national state-to-state mutual aid system. The EMAC request is sent directly to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. The requests allow for the OSFM to mobilize resources through the OFMAS. The teams are comprised of Oregon’s structural firefighting agencies, which provide structural firefighting and all-hazards assistance.

Oregon’s structural firefighters mobilized by the OSFM were last sent to California to respond to the Camp Fire in Paradise in November 2018.

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