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SUNNY Temp: 82 °F Wind: N at 3 mph Thursday, August 29, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend July 16, 2002 Firefighters Daren Kyniston, top, of White City, and Ricci Bewley, Medford, move a hose up a smoldering slope near Woodrat Mountain. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell West’s fires sap resources Fire bosses scramble for equipment and crews; governor will call out Oregon Guard to help By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Raging fires here and throughout the West have all but tapped out Oregon’s wildfire fighting force, leaving fire bosses scrambling for fresh bodies and equipment to defend against the flames. Many firefighters assigned to federal agencies in Oregon are away fighting blazes in Colorado and Utah, while legions of independent firefighters also are scattered across the West. The Oregon Department of Forestry deployed the remaining 2,220 contract firefighters listed with the agency Monday, depleting the main source of manpower for the critical job of digging defensible lines used to corral wildfires. "We quickly went through all the crews we had and there aren’t any more on the list at this moment," said Charlie Stone, assistant state forester for the protection division. "We’ll be working to get some out-of-state crews." Gov. John Kitzhaber said Monday he expects to call in 500 fresh Oregon National Guard troops for firefighting duties and get them on the ground as early as next week, while special "strike force" teams have been formed in Jackson County and elsewhere to aid wildland firefighters in defending homes. The National Guard will assemble four 125-person crews from across the state, then run them through rough firefighter training by the Oregon Department of Forestry before shipping the crews where they are needed most. "We don’t train specifically for this, but we’re used to being disciplined, we’re used to forming lines and dealing with crises," said Maj. JefferyJulum, an Oregon National Guard spokesman in Salem. "So our people are somewhat trained to deal with this." So, too, are the 13 Jackson County firefighters who quickly formed a four-engine strike team Monday and headed to southern Douglas County to defend homes threatened by a new fire near Tiller. The team, made up of firefighters from the Medford and Jackson County Fire District No. 3 departments, was called to defend homes and other structures so crews trained at battling flames in brush and timber can focus on their strengths, Medford fire Chief Dave Bierwiler said. "We only give what we think we can afford to give without threatening our people," Bierwiler said. In all, dozens of wildfires have blackened more than 92,000 acres in Oregon since Wednesday. That includes eight fires now burning in Jackson County, with the Squire fire near Ruch the largest at 1,500 acres. The state’s highest priority is the Eyerly fire, where 500 firefighters are battling flames that have burned 17,000 acres and consumed 18 homes near Madras. The National Interagency Fire Center reported that 58 large fires were burning Monday on 385,000 acres in the western states, many of which have sucked away potential firefighters and coveted air tankers from the Oregon blazes. "Most of the nation’s resources are deployed already, so it makes it tough on us," Stone said Monday. "Having fewer resources available when we get hit with a lot of fires like this allows some fires to get larger than they would have," Stone said. "There’s no one to blame. That’s the system. You fight the fires that are going." State foresters were still trying Monday to work out the details, and find the funding, for training the Oregon National Guard troops, but Stone said he expects the arrangements to be made today. In Salem, Kitzhaber has not yet discussed with his staff any plans to ask lawmakers to dip into the state’s Emergency Fund to beef up state firefighting crews, Kitzhaber spokesman Tom Towslee said. "But I think it’s inevitable that the Emergency Fund will have to be used to some degree," Towslee said. "We’re only into the middle of July and look how bad it is. I can’t imagine what it will be like in August." But help might be in small doses. Towslee said the Emergency Fund stands at a scant $13 million with almost an entire year of emergency requests from state agencies ahead. But the lack of crews to hire rested more heavily on firefighters’ heads Monday than money. "It’s hard to believe that we’re actually tapped out," said Phil Cardin, manager of the Interagency Fire Center at the Medford airport. "Things are not going well. It’s cross-your-fingers time." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S