CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — “Anyone who thinks they can go out the next time the lightning strikes in the Kalmiopsis might find that it’s not as easy as it sounds,” said Austin Prince, Rural Metro Fire.
It’s something firefighters are not only calling dangerous, but irresponsible.
“They’re talking about going into places that are going to be very dangerous to them, might even be trespassing on private or government lands,” he said.
Prince says it’s the first year he’s heard of “vigilante firefighters,” civilians leaping into action and fighting fires with or without the help of trained professionals.
“Small groups thinking they can make a difference can only really make a difference if it’s very small,” Prince said.
In Oregon, the law says if you start a fire, you have to take action to put it out if you’re able to. And when it comes to putting out fires on your own land, Prince says you can do so at your own risk.
“If you look at last year’s fire season, they did some of the work for us and there’s nothing we say is wrong with that,” he said.
But when it comes to wildland firefighting, Brian Ballou of the Oregon Department of Forestry says it’s a very different story.
“Impeding wildland operations is a crime,” he said.
Ballou says impeding wildland fighting efforts is not only illegal but will likely do more harm than good.
“Firefighters on scene, they’re going to try and rescue you,” he said. “They’re going to try and put you out of that bad way, that bad spot, even though you put yourself in it.”
Yet as risky as battling fires on your own may sound to some, Jackson County Administrator Danny Jordan says it’s already happening.
“I know we had one example of a helitanker when we had the Central Point Expo fire going on wanting to drop water on the fire,” he said.
Jordan says he understands the frustration many have felt in recent years all too well.
“It’s very disturbing to be under the impact of smoke all summer long [and] to be facing having your property burned,” he said.
Although fire agencies say they empathize with many people’s frustration, the risk is just too great both to you and others.
“If you’re going to take action, it better be actually on something you can make a difference on cause otherwise you’re just putting yourself at risk,” said Prince.
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