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About 200 U.S. Army soldiers are being readied for deployment to assist with a wildland fire ground response in the Pacific Northwest at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center. U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command, which serves as U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command, will oversee the military ground operation in support of federal and state efforts.
The 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, has been notified of the mission. The unit completed initial wildland firefighter training with the U.S. Forest Service earlier in July and will receive additional specialized instruction at JBLM before deploying to the fire lines.
The country is at Preparedness Level 5, the highest level of wildfire preparedness, with 90 large fires burning, more than half in Oregon and Washington.
Additional training at JBLM will be conducted by a highly experienced cadre and will cover firefighter safety, fire suppression methods, and proper use of personal protective equipment. Once deployed, the soldiers will serve as hand crews, constructing fire lines and conducting line-holding actions under the direction of experienced civilian wildland fire crew bosses.
For decades, military support has provided unique capabilities and resources to the national wildfire response. More information on military activations for civilian wildfire support is available at https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/military-support.
