Local firefighters battling wildfires in Kentucky as part of mutual-aid agreement
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
NORTHEAST OREGON — Though fire season has subsided in Oregon, other parts of the country are strained for resources as they hit their peak. In the last week, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) sent 68 firefighters to Kentucky and 10 firefighters to North Carolina to assist in their fire suppression efforts.
Six of the firefighters in Kentucky hail from northeast Oregon.
The ODF crews went to Kentucky and North Carolina under mutual assistance agreements between the states. When wildfire activity is low in Oregon, such as during fall, firefighters can be spared to help in places experiencing high levels of wildfire. Before committing to any deployment, ODF makes sure that our state’s own fire management system is prepared and ready to respond to fires here in Oregon.
Cody Rickert, an ODF Forest Officer out of Wallowa County, is one of the local firefighters in the Bluegrass State this week, helping battle a wildfire near the Virginia border.
“It’s been a great experience so far. For most of us this is our first time in Kentucky and the local guys are really spread out and since our fire season back home is over, we have this opportunity and I think the guys that are here can prove that we’re just willing to serve the best we can,” said Ricket.
Rickert, who grew up in Joseph, has already fought fires in Alaska, Washington and southern Oregon this year. He says he notices the difference fighting fires in other states compared to Oregon.
“When you think about Kentucky, you kind of think flat lands. We’re in the southeast part of Kentucky and it is definitely not flat down here,” says Rickert. “The terrain is different. It’s not as steep or as big as back home, but still, there’s definitely areas of steepness. What’s cool about coming out of the state is you get to experience different terrain, different topography and different fuel characteristics. We definitely learned that fires in other areas are fought differently.”
ODF says sending firefighters on these out-of-state deployments helps them build relationships outside of the organization, learn new suppression tactics and gives them the opportunity to fight fire in a different landscape. These off-season deployments help keep their skills sharp and come back to Oregon with new knowledge that can be applied to our future fire seasons.
“During our peak season, Oregon can and has called on other states to send firefighters and equipment when wildfires exceed our local capacity. The hope with these deployments is to build strong relationships so when we need help, other states will answer our call to action” Blake Ellis, ODF fire operations manager, said.
“It’s been a very good experience coming down here and seeing all that and learning a new way that we can bring that experience home that we can teach the guys that go out next time,” says Rickert. “I think it just comes down to just wanting to serve other communities and to help people out in times of need and support them. Hopefully sometime if we need help and support they’ll come up and support us as well.”
