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375 National Guard troops trained to fight wildfires headed to Holiday Farm Fire

by News Staff

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Oregon Senator Ron Wyden visited the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training July 12, to observe wildland firefighter training for the Oregon National Guard. The state’s coordinated and comprehensive wildfire suppression efforts include training more than 400 citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen from the Oregon National Guard as wildland firefighters. (National Guard photo by Sgt. Cory Grogan, Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs)
Oregon National Guard members train to fight wildfires in the heat Monday at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem. (KATU Photo)
A member of the Oregon National Guard participates in wildland fire training at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training July 12. The state’s coordinated and comprehensive wildfire suppression efforts include training more than 400 citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen from the Oregon National Guard as wildland firefighters. (National Guard photo by Sgt. Cory Grogan, Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs)
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Oregon Senator Ron Wyden visited the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training July 12, to observe wildland firefighter training for the Oregon National Guard. The state’s coordinated and comprehensive wildfire suppression efforts include training more than 400 citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen from the Oregon National Guard as wildland firefighters. (National Guard photo by Sgt. Cory Grogan, Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs)
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SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - Three 125-person teams of Oregon National Guard troops who have been trained to fight wildfires are expected to start arriving at the Holiday Farm Fire on Saturday.

Major General Michael E. Stencel said the Guard units could be sent elsewhere at the Oregon Department of Forestry's discretion.

If all three teams arrive at the fire in Lane County as currently planned, they will nearly triple the number of personnel on the fire. Just over 200 firefighters are currently working the blaze in the McKenzie Valley as of Thursday.

Guard troops have also volunteered to staff traffic control points to help enforce evacuation zones.

The Guard will begin staffing such control points in Lane County as early as Friday.

National Guard troops trained earlier this summer to be ready to mobilize to fight fires so they would be ready to mobilize, if needed, under Operation Plan Smokey.

Stencel said the Oregon Military Department is also:

  1. Training 2 more 125-person wildland firefighting teams at the request of the governor. Those teams should be on the ground in the next 2 weeks.
  2. Supporting state efforts to call up active duty Army firefighting support to battle blazes on federal lands.
  3. Working with National Guard bureau to recruit firefighting teams from other states.

The Oregon Department of Forestry says they will need to roughly double the number of firefighters in Oregon to fight the fires until a fire season-ending rain event arrives. That typically doesn't happen until October.

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