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Firefighters warn Oregon fire season is still here

Firefighter stands beside a map.
Tiffany Eckert
/
KLCC
Merv George Jr. is a Deputy Regional Forester for the U.S. Forest Service serving the Pacific Northwest.

At an “end-of-season” briefing in Springfield Wednesday, federal and state firefighters gave U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle an update on where fire season actually stands in the region.

U.S. Forest Service Deputy Regional Forester Merv George Jr. said right now, in the middle of October, there are still fires in Oregon: a total of 12 active incidents with 1,700 firefighters working them.

“Make no mistake, fire season is still here," he said. "And we are waiting for season-ending weather to come and put our fire season to bed."

In his over three decades in natural resource management, George said this has been one of the wildest and most unpredictable fire seasons he’s ever seen. He said more than 2 million acres have burned in the Pacific Northwest.

Firefighters and lawmakers at a briefing in Springfield.
Tiffany Eckert
/
KLCC
Sometimes firefighters get the chance to inform elected leaders of boots-on-the-ground stories and make requests of federal resources for suppression and preventative maintenance. Here, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (center right) and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle (center left) are flanked by state and federal firefighters at a briefing in Springfield.

George added that having the ears of elected leaders is a good opportunity to share firefighters’ stories and request federal resources for suppression and preventative maintenance.

Following a meeting with firefighters, Wyden said there is still much to do to adequately support wildfire fighting and fire suppression efforts in Oregon. At the briefing held at Willamette National Forest Bureau of Land Management Interagency Office in Springfield, both lawmakers outlined some proposals to prevent and reduce the risk of fires in the future.

“At the top of our list will be more prescribed burns where you can go in there in the cooler weather months and reduce the huge debris buildup on the forest floor,” said Wyden. “And also, permanent increases in fire fighter pay so those salaries are competitive with the private sector."

Hoyle said she agreed that prescribed burns are a crucial step in reducing fire starts and massive burns during fire season. She also spoke on the importance of supporting fire victims.

Tiffany joined the KLCC News team in 2007. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in a variety of media including television, technical writing, photography and daily print news before moving to the Pacific Northwest.