If a wildfire were to spark in southwest Washington, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), it can utilize engine strike teams, contract crews and aviation to suppress a blaze in place of Larch inmate crews.
In the first summer since the Larch Corrections Center, which housed upward of nine inmate fire crews, shuttered, DNR placed a single-hand crew north of Camas, referred to as the Lacamas Hand Crew, for the region.
Thomas Kyle-Milward, DNR wildfire communications manager, said, if necessary in Cowlitz County, DNR could utilize crews from the Cedar Creek Corrections Center, northwest of Centralia, as Castle Rock is the extent of that corrections center’s range. But, contract crews — private entities for wildland firefighting — remain the most viable option for ground operations, Kyle-Milward said.
One wildfire near the small town of Pe Ell is an example of contract crews at work, he added.
“The Donkey Fire is a good example of how DNR could also sort of deploy contract crews,” Kyle-Milward said of the 38-acre wildfire. “As of [July 16], there were four hand crews on the Donkey Fire. All four of those were contract crews, and again, that’s kind of a break-lock in case of need, and right now we really haven’t seen that need in the region.”
As of Wednesday, July 17, DNR reported a 10-year low for fire ignitions so far this season, Kyle-Milward said.
“While we don’t believe that means that we’ll just stay in that range for the rest of the season, it does kind of indicate that, up until this point, knock on wood, we really haven’t seen a ton of ignition,” he said, adding DNR’s preparations into this summer season haven’t really been put to the test yet. “... I know that we were leaning on cooperators both at the local and federal level, and we’ve seen some of those local fire districts already make some adjustments of their own across the Washington state landscape, not just in this region. Local fire districts predominantly are that first line of attack or defense depending on how you look at it. Those are the crews that are going to get there first. They’re the ones that are going to know the landscape.”
Kyle-Milward said being able to tap into the arsenal of aviation firefighting units in Washington state is a huge bonus. He added that two weeks ago, 34 aircraft were available statewide ranging from DNR helicopters to private aircraft.
“So the aviation remains a critical part of the game plan and is obviously a resource that we would aggressively tap into the region,” Kyle-Milward said. “... It really does make it significantly easier for ground personnel. It allows us to use a smaller number of ground personnel to manage fires, keep fires smaller. … The aviation is critical, and we do have the Camp Bonneville Helipad that has a type-two helicopter that is exclusively for the region’s use. We’ve also prepositioned aviation resources in mind for having that increased footprint in the region.”
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