07/16/2024
Fire season is in full swing here in Oregon. While we do not have a crew this year, we do have two engines that will be responding to calls this year. We are prepared and ready to assist in our State and neighboring states if the need arises.
There is a little bit of a problem happening in the wildland firefighting world for anyone in the private sector, like we are. The Oregon State Fire Marshall has created a program that trains local fire departments in wildland firefighting and sends those people out to fight fires in the State. While that might not sound like a problem to most, for those people who make their living off fighting fires, it's becoming a real issue.
While hundreds of private engines and crews sit in waiting, municipalities are sending their fire fighters to do the job the private sector has primarily been doing in the past. Many of these private contractors have worked for many years providing great service and now they are essentially being dismissed. They have to pay thousands of dollars each year to keep equipment up and running and personnel trained. They have spent time and money to follow the government's processes and now they may not be able to reclaim any of these expenses.
Companies like ours, have employees who have years' worth of wildland fire fighting experience under their belt and they are just sitting.
It would make sense, when a wildfire happens, to take the closest resources. That just isn't the case these days.
While there isn't much that the general public can do about this, we do think it is important to raise awareness.
We support the use of local municipalities when they are close to the fire and the need is there, just like it has been for years. We don't support the current model, which is leaving the independent contractor out to dry.
