Medford, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Forestry is now more prepared for wildfire season. On Friday, roughly 20 new hires had their last day of training and are about to get some real world experience in the woods.
The sound of a crackling radio is one of the many things Andrew Burns will have to get used to as a new firefighter at ODF.
“I’m excited,” he said.
This week, he and between 15-25 others completed 40 hours of training.
“A lot of classroom stuff and then some driving training and digging line, all kinds of different things we’re going to experience out there in the field,” said Burns.
In the field, is where he’ll be pretty soon… maybe as soon as Saturday.
“After their training today [Friday], they’re put on a truck and they’re ready to go,” said Matthew Krunglevich, the District Protection Planner for ODF.
“We think this is going to be a pretty big year for us,” he continued.
That’s why ODF crews are keeping a close eye on live images sent in from six cameras on six different mountain tops.
“These cameras are just another tool in our tool bag,” said Krunglevich.
He said there are plans to add a few more over the next 2-3 years.
However, despite the technology, Krunglevich said the cameras can’t compete with a human set of eyes.
“It’s never going to replace somebody on the ground, somebody in the air,” he said.
That’s why Andrew Burns’ new job is so important.
“Keeping an eye on people, make sure they’re safe. That’s a lot of the job. If we can prevent fires, then we’re really doing the job. That’s our ultimate goal,” said Burns.
According to ODF, the fire season is already trending two to two-and-a-half weeks ahead of schedule, meaning typically smaller fires are burning larger and faster.
A huge concern this year are mountain forests.
The lack of snowpack means a spark could quickly develop into a catastrophic fire.
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