Oregon National Guard members to get wildfire training

As part of the state’s coordinated and comprehensive wildfire suppression efforts,and thanks to funds allocated by the federal government, about 200 citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen from the Oregon National Guard will arrive at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem next Monday for a week-long wildland firefighter training program.

This group of 200 arriving next Monday are in addition to the 200 trained earlier this month at Camp Rilea near Warrenton.

The federal funds which allow this training to occur were allocated at the request of state officials to help prepare members of the National Guard in case their assistance is needed this year to support wildland firefighting efforts.

The week-long training will be provided by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST).

The training provided to the Oregon National Guard is the same training required of all public and private wildland firefighters. This training is often known as “red card” training and consists of both classroom and hands-on sessions.

Classes include a wide-variety of topics including safety considerations, communications, protecting tribal artifacts, fire behavior, and hands-on sessions such as fire shelter deployment, hand lines, gridding, hand tool work, and related skills.

All of these classes combined will allow the citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen to be safe and effective in their work in case they are required this year to help support the efforts of wildland firefighters around the state.

In 2015, members of the Oregon National Guard assisted with wildfire suppression efforts in John Day and Enterprise. In 2017, more than 400 citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen supported Oregon’s firefighting efforts (air and ground) at High Cascades Complex (near Crater Lake), Chetco Bar, Blanket Creek, Horse Prairie, and Milli fires. Last year, Oregon Army National Guard helicopters dropped more than 700,000 gallons of water.

The Oregon National Guard has an long-standing agreement with the Oregon Department of Forestry known as Operation Plan Smokey, which stipulates the details of how Oregon National Guard members will be utilized to assist in annual firefighting efforts if needed. This agreement is reviewed on an annual basis by both agencies and the Governor’s Office.

On July 18, Governor Kate Brown declared a statewide wildfire emergency, which activated Operation Plan Smokey to make Oregon National Guard (ONG) troops and resources available to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). At the request of ODF, aviation resources were made available to wildfire crews in Oregon. ONG ground troops have not yet been requested but are now available if wildfire conditions worsen. https://www.oregon.gov/newsroom/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?newsid=2828

DPSST Director Eriks Gabliks said, “we are always impressed with the dedication and hard work of the men and women of the Oregon National Guard who support the state’s coordinated wildfire suppression efforts. It is our organization’s honor and privilege to train these citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen who have served us both around the state and around the world.”