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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Cooking oil fire damages SOU-owned home, displaces two ... Rogue Valley pair hope supporters will breathe life into 'Don't Die' ... Mail Tribune 100: Oct. 19, 1915 ... Cooking oil fire damages SOU-owned home, displaces two ... Rogue Valley pair hope supporters will breathe life into 'Don't Die' ... Mail Tribune 100: Oct. 19, 1915 ... OREGON WILDFIRES Firefighting resources strained by blazes elsewhere Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 18, 2015 at 4:56 PM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 18, 2015 at 4:56 PM » Social News Wildfires in central and eastern Oregon have left local departments juggling resources to avoid being caught understaffed by a major fire at home. "We actually just met with the local fire chiefs this morning and decided that we aren't going to be committing anymore resources outside of (the Rogue Valley)," said Medford Fire Chief Brian Fish. He said the department is keeping in mind major September fires such as the 2009 Deer Ridge fire, which burned more than 600 acres on Roxy Ann Peak, as it plans its daily staffing levels. Fish said fire officials already have put in calls to incident management teams working wildfires elsewhere to find out when local personnel will be returned home. Ashley Lara, spokeswoman for Jackson County Fire District 3, said that as of this afternoon, the Canyon Creek fire near John Day had reached 44,000 acres and was threatening more than 500 structures. "It's zero-percent contained," she said. Lara said the fire has drawn two of the department's brush rigs and four firefighters as part of the Jackson County Task Force, which also includes six firefighters and an engine from Medford Fire-Rescue. Lara said District 3 also has personnel deployed as part of the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Red Team, which is working incident command at the fire. Fish said he has another firefighter and a command vehicle assigned to a fire burning on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation west of Madras. "He's part of the incident command team there," Fish said, adding that the firefighter is expected to return to the department in coming days. Fish said it's been 10 to 15 years since his department has had to deploy resources outside of the Southern Oregon region, a move that could pose some problems with local staffing. "The equipment, not so much," Fish said, explaining that the department has other engines available to respond to calls. "But potentially for personnel." Lara said that since the national fire preparedness level was raised last week to a 5, indicating major fires that could exhaust firefighting resources, District 3 would be ranked against others based on need in any request it made for outside help. "Right now, (the weighing criteria) is mostly vulnerability to lives and structures," she said. As of this afternoon, air tankers operating out of the interagency base at the Medford airport had been relocated to fires outside of the Southern Oregon area. "There are no air tankers at the base," said Brian Ballou, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry. Ballou said ODF has two helicopters of its own at its Medford office and another in Grants Pass. In the event a fire in the Medford area grew large enough to require a tanker, the aircraft likely would have to be pulled off another fire. "If everything (went) our way, we'd order another up from Redmond or another air tanker base," Ballou said, adding that air base could request aircraft from other states. Fish said that in the event the local departments' own resources do prove insufficient to deal with a major local fire, Medford Fire-Rescue and other Jackson County departments are able to call on Josephine County fire departments through the Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association. Department staff are conducting regular checks with regional departments to find out what personnel and equipment are available for mutual-aid calls each day. "We (already) do that automatically every day of the year," Fish said. Reporter Ryan Pfeil contributed to this story. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty can be reached at 541-776-4471, or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 18, 2015 at 4:56 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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