ALWAYS ON CALL
Guest Blog by: Stephen Spradley, Training & Development Officer; Incident Management Team member
It’s been a few weeks since I returned from the Northwest, where a group of GFC colleagues and I served on wildfire duty. Oregon and Washington were having a record-breaking wildfire season, with over 2.1 million acres burned. It had been more than 10 years since our agency was called on to help fight fires west of Texas, but help was needed and our Incident Management Team (IMT) answered the call. This is a specially- trained national team with expertise that falls into specific categories including Planning, Logistics, Finance, Safety, and Public Information.
My assignment was Public Information Officer and it was my team’s responsibility to keep the community engaged and informed about current fire conditions. It was really rewarding to see how all members of the firefighting operation, both locals and those who were assisting from other states, bonded and worked together.
The National Interagency Fire Center requested our IMT “pre-position” in Redmond, Oregon, believing that a new wildfire would begin in the region. Our team began planning ahead, running scenarios for each of our departments. On August 15, we were called in to assist the Western Washington Type 3 IMT, which was working the “2620 Road fire” on the Olympic Peninsula. It was a seven-hour drive from Redmond and we arrived that evening.
The Olympic Peninsula area is beautiful, however, it is not a typical wildfire hotspot because it is mostly covered by rainforest. The community was alarmed that fire would blow in. The fire had moved into nearby land on Mt. Jupiter, an area that had been logged earlier in the year. It has extremely steep terrain, making it too complex for the Washington team to handle on its own.
After arrival, our GFC team jumped into action. Incident Commanders Blair Joiner and Kris Butler met with the Western Washington Incident Commanders to develop a plan to integrate the two teams efficiently. Operations Section Chief Jason Squires and his team began scouting the fire and developing a plan to get the fire put out. Finance Section Chief Jason Gillis and his team worked to navigate contracts with fire crews and equipment. Logistics Section Chief Willie Boston and his team worked to set up food, fuel and lodging. Planning Section Chief Ethan Robertson and his team worked to develop better tracking of resources and mapping of the fire. Safety Officer Danny Gore and his team developed a Strategic Risk Analysis for the fire so that everyone involved would make it home safely. My Public Information team and I developed a plan to keep the community engaged and informed of the current fire situation.
When the two IMTs outgrew our command post at the Brinnon Fire Department, we moved to Camp Parsons Boy Scout Camp and fire resources grew from 60 to 400. Each section of the teams quickly merged and smooth planning continued.
On August 18, weather became more of an issue with rain and heavy wind moving through. Mt. Jupiter’s blazes. Fire was being blown outside containment lines so new strategies were mapped. The next day, torrential downpours and penny-sized hail came in, though the fire was above the clouds and only received wind! With the aid of air tankers, helicopters, and ground resources, the fire was contained.
Over the next week, as rain made its way to higher elevations, our Georgia IMT and the Western Washington team were working as if they’d been one for years. Sections were going out of their way to help each other with tasks and assignments and firefighters on the line were making great progress. We became a seamless, mighty operation and soon we would turn everything back over to local resources.
Serving on western fires gives our Georgia team time to learn about different fire behaviors, terrains, and weather conditions. It strengthens our ability to serve our home state. It absolutely enhances our ability to work as a team and appreciate the commonalities we have with our fellow emergency responders nationwide.