When a wildfire breaks out across the state, and local resources cannot handle the blaze, a task force from the Oregon State Fire Marshal is dispatched, along with resources from across state agencies.
They descend upon the fire; hundreds of personnel arrive to stop the blaze and support firefighters. Hotshot crews working to stop the spread, air attack spreading water and fire retardant, crews working to secure structures, and many at the base camp working on communications, logistics and strategy.
It starts in the early morning, before sunrise. Wildland and structural firefighting forces from agencies across the state meet in front of a map of the fire, printed from a tent mounted on a truck as updates are available.
The firefighters hear from incident commanders and other leaders about important fire updates, like what resources are available that day, where each unit is being sent for the shift and where the biggest areas of attack are for the fire. They also hear logistical items, like when showers are available, what’s available for breakfast and where to get supplies.
The logistical management of the fire camp is a large undertaking. Crews move quickly around the state and move often. They create small, fully operational towns everywhere they go, operating fully on their own, with or without facilities. The crews often sleep in tents at fairgrounds, campsites and wilderness areas near the fires.
They have a shower station built on a semi-truck trailer that arrives, a mess hall set up with tents, and a kitchen, also built into a semi-truck trailer. They provide three meals a day for each firefighter, and they need a lot.
According to the state fire marshal agency, wildland firefighters need to eat about 6,000 calories a day while actively fighting fire. Providing that much food takes lots of logistics, and even involves food orders from wholesale companies.
After the morning briefing, the firefighters scatter to their morning tasks before heading out to the fire. They get breakfast, stock up on supply needs like Gatorade and water, bought by the pallet, and prepare their individual engines and crews.
After spending a few days on the fire, once it’s largely contained, many of the teams head directly to another fire. During the Elk Lane Fire in Jefferson County, many of the crews were on their third or fourth fire of the season.
The crews get assigned to other fires managed by the state fire marshal, and off they go, to prevent loss of life and structures at another fire in another part of the state. Much of this logistics is funded by the state, which has increased funding for wildfire response and preparedness significantly since 2020, when 11 people died and over 5,000 homes and businesses were destroyed by wildfire.
So far this year, Oregon has seen the most acres burned by wildfire since it’s been recorded, an astonishing 1.49 million acres. As all those acres burn and new fires are caused by people and lighting across the state, fire crews are working hard on the fire line and logistically to get firefighters where they need to be, while keeping them fed, sheltered, clean and safe.
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