Southeast Thurston Fire Authority (SETFA) has been active since the start of the summer season, dispatching several crews to combat non-local fires as part of the wildland mobilization team under the direction of the Washington State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources.
According to Kelly Corey, SETFA’s wildland coordinator, the most recent strike team returned to Thurston County on Monday, August 12, after fighting a fire near White Pass. Corey mentioned that strike teams can be away for anywhere between 14 and 21 days at most.
“At Southeast Thurston Fire Authority, we have a brush truck dedicated to this mobilization program. While it is stationed at Station 24, it can also be used for local fires within the district, but also the truck can be utilized at any time for a dispatched mobilization in any state, and that’s how our wildland mobilization brush truck operates,” Corey said. “On a state level, for example, if a fire in Eastern Washington becomes too large or exceeds the local resources, those local agencies contact the Washington State Patrol or DNR. These agencies then request additional state resources from other agencies in Washington or neighboring states, depending on the situation.”
SETFA’s mobilization teams have been deployed to several locations since the fire season began, including the Telephone Fire and Falls Fire in Oregon. The Thurston County-based strike team spent 15 days in Oregon battling the blaze with both fires burning well over 200,000 acres. The agency also assisted in mobilization efforts at the Retreat Fire near Naches and the Road 11 Fire, which spread over 10,000 acres in Okanogan County.
Corey said that crews meet at a rally point, typically the McLane Black Lake Fire Department in Olympia, prior to mobilizing. The meeting at this rally point usually takes place at 7 p.m. or early in the morning. After a briefing, crews begin traveling immediately, forming a convoy to the fire.
“If we’re dispatched to Douglas County for a brush fire that has grown beyond local control, they contact the state patrol, which initiates the process. The state patrol then contacts all regional coordinators for the state mobilization program to identify available strike teams. Since we are part of this program, we can inform them that our brush truck is available,” Corey said. “Upon arrival at the fire, several scenarios can occur. We may go straight to the fire line or bed down if we arrive later in the evening, depending on the circumstances. I’ve experienced traveling all night and working a double shift due to the urgency of the situation. It can be challenging, but the strike team understands that we are there to relieve local crews who have been working tirelessly from the start of the fire.”
Corey added that a strike team typically consists of four to five brush rigs of varying sizes, including a water tender, and overhead supervisors who lead the crew to the fire’s location.
“[This wildland program] predates my time,” Corey said. “Before I became the wildland coordinator, it was an already established program. We used to send out two brush trucks at any given time during the summer. Now, we only send one brush truck due to the increased number of local fires and our own increased call volume here locally.”
Corey said that the success of the SETFA wildland program relies on the dedication of the six to eight career firefighters who staff the brush truck for these deployments. The certifications, training and response required for wildland fires go beyond standard structural firefighting duties. Firefighters deployed to these incidents also live out of tents and their brush trucks, away from their families for extended periods.
Corey noted firefighters gain valuable experience from participating in these larger complex fires in other regions. He said that he has personally worked on some of the largest fires in the state, such as the Carlton Complex and Okanogan fires, experiences that are not achievable here locally. One of the greatest rewards is helping those affected communities with their properties, livestock, infrastructure and the local fire crews, he said. The gratitude expressed by these communities, whether through a personal thank you or signs of appreciation, is a truly humbling experience, Corey added.
