ODF Sends 26 Firefighters to North Carolina to Support Wildfire Response
ODF has sent 26 firefighters and 2 reps to North Carolina to help battle wildfires. The deployment is part of a mutual aid agreement, returning support received in 2024. Crews are assigned to the Black Cove incident, with Oregon ensuring its own fire readiness remains a top priority.
SALEM, Ore. – Over the weekend, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) deployed 26 firefighters and two agency representatives to North Carolina to assist in battling multiple wildfires across the state. Many of the ODF personnel arrived on March 23 and are currently assigned to the Black Cove incident in western North Carolina.
The deployment is part of a two-week rotation and is a chance for Oregon to return the favor to North Carolina, which provided significant support during Oregon’s intense 2024 wildfire season. At that time, North Carolina sent nearly an entire incident management team (IMT) and multiple overhead positions to assist ODF during a period of critical resource shortages.
“Being able to have an additional incident management team made it so we did not have to make the hard choice of prioritizing one fire over another,” said Blake Ellis, Fire Operations Manager at ODF. “We had two fires in need of an IMT and only one ODF team available. Thanks to North Carolina, we were able to fill both incidents’ needs.”
The deployment was made possible through mutual assistance agreements between Oregon and North Carolina. These agreements allow ODF to send personnel out-of-state when fire activity is low in Oregon and receive aid when needed during peak fire conditions.
Oregon has often called on its out-of-state partners during extreme wildfire seasons, including in 2024 when ODF received support from 21 states, provinces, and territories.
“These agreements help bolster the complete and coordinated fire protection system and create a cache of reciprocal resources for all of us to call on when needed,” said Michael Curran, Chief of ODF’s Fire Protection Division.
Curran emphasized that such deployments are never made lightly. “Know that we don’t share these resources without appropriate vetting. Before committing to any out-of-state deployment, we make sure that our own fire management system is still adequately staffed and ready to respond to fires here in Oregon. Serving Oregonians is our first and primary priority.”
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