BOISE, Idaho — More than 250 active duty military personnel landed at NIFC Saturday to help fight wildfires in the Boise and Payette national forests. The firefighters are coming from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and will assist with firefighting efforts for up to 30 days.
- The country is currently at national preparedness level 5, the highest possible level, meaning firefighting resources are under heavy strain.
- For the military firefighters, their first day of work at the front begins on Monday, August 19.
(Below is the transcript of the broadcast report.)
“Yes, what you are seeing here is the mobilization of active duty soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. They are here to assist us in fighting the wildfires in the state of Idaho,” said Ben Newburn, the Regional Fire Director for the U.S. Forest Service’s Intermountain Region.
He tells me that in times of extreme fire activity – like we are currently experiencing in Idaho – it is difficult to access local resources.
“Currently we are at national preparedness level five. Even within our geographic area we are at preparedness level five, which means we are short on firefighters,” Newburn said. “We are short on resources and this influx from the military will help us contain our existing fires and also take care of any future fires that may occur in the next week or two.”
The highest level of national fire preparedness is Level 5, which means that national firefighting resources are under heavy strain. Newburn tells me that the Forest Service often calls on the military for help fighting fires at this time.
“The Department of Defense has a long-standing relationship with national forests, dating back to the Yellowstone fires in 1988,” said Colonel Camelia Orzech, Idaho State Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer with the U.S. Army.
She tells me that these soldiers who will be fighting the wildfires in Idaho have been thoroughly trained by the NIFC teams.
“Soldiers are always ready to deploy, so we are here to help and make sure the people of Idaho are safe and preserve some of our national resources,” Orzech said.
“Mobilizing this half-battalion from Joint Base Lewis-McChord will not only help us fill in for firefighters already deployed, but also give them some much-needed time off before they return to firefighting operations. It will also increase our response readiness where we have urgent needs on the front lines,” Newburn said.
