With hot temperatures, Red Flag Warnings in place, and lightning in the forecast, the Oregon State Fire Marshal is pre-positioning two structural task forces in Central Oregon. The task forces are from Lincoln and Polk counties. Task force 44 included three North Lincoln Fire and rescue teams along with Seal Rock fire, Siletz Valley Rural Fire and Garibaldi fire from Tillamook County that were deployed on Friday. The task forces have 26 firefighters, eight engines, and two water tenders.
Pre-positioning resources is a tool the OSFM has because of 2021’s Senate Bill 762. These resources are not assigned to a specific incident but are added capacity for initial attack on any new fires. The two task forces will be pre-positioned for 72 hours and could be extended for up to two weeks if needed. “With the immense wildfire activity we have seen so far this summer, we are taking this proactive step to prepare for yet another increased threat of new fire starts,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “We are moving into the heart of our typical wildfire season, and it is important now more than ever that Oregonians and visitors practice wildfire prevention. Please help our firefighters by being wildfire aware.”
The Oregon State Fire Marshal offers a wide range of resources to help Oregonians and visitors be prepared for and know how to prevent sparking a wildfire. Please visit the wildfire prevention webpage on the agency’s website. The OSFM has four task forces from Clackamas, Clatsop, Washington, and Yamhill counties and its Green Incident Management Team assigned to the Telephone Fire in Harney County. The Emergency Conflagration Act was invoked for the fire on Thursday, marking the tenth this summer.
The two structural task forces from Lincoln and Polk counties pre-positioned in Central Oregon were sent to work moments after arriving Friday to help on the Mile Marker 132 fire north of Bend which sparked on Friday afternoon. The fire was threatening some homes.
While crews were working on the Mile Marker 132 Fire, another one sparked in Crook County just east of Powell Butte. One of the task forces was moved to that incident to help those local agencies.
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