With national attention focused on major wildfires in California and Idaho, Harrisburg-area media recently continued strong coverage of Pennsylvania firefighting crews deployed to—and returning from—out-of-state blazes.

Forty Bureau of Forestry employees and local volunteer fire company members returned August 22, from Idaho. They were greeted at the airport by Acting Secretary Ferretti, who joined them for breakfast the next day at the Lower Swatara Fire Department headquarters.

Another 20-person crew of Pennsylvanians returned August 28 after two weeks fighting an Oregon blaze; another crew left August 29 for Montana duty; and another crew remains in Calif., fighting the Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park. That crew is expected to return late this week or early next week.

In total, seven 20-person crews have been deployed from Pennsylvania to Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and California. With individual assignments, close to 175 firefighters have been deployed in 2013.

In past years, the state Bureau of Forestry has dispatched as many as 300 volunteers a year to help other states.

Pennsylvania over the years has provided both crews and highly specialized individuals to wildfires in many Eastern states and every state west of the Mississippi. Most assignments involve firefighters traveling as part of a 20-person crew, and serving two-week assignments.

All volunteers from Pennsylvania have received intensive training at a Bureau of Forestry training camp that dates back 27 years. The three-day camp duplicates real-life firefighting experiences found across the nation; Because of the training—and organization—Pennsylvania’s volunteer wildfire fighters continue to get the call when the going gets rough with forest and brush fires across the country.

Over the years, Pennsylvania crews regularly receive high reviews for their training, attitude and knowledge. After training and their out-of-state assignments, these Pennsylvania firefighters bring home more than the satisfaction of giving 100 percent. They bring back first-hand knowledge to help them fight large fires in our woodlands.

For more information, visit DCNR’s Wildland Fire webpage.

(Reprinted from the September 4 DCNR Resource newsletter.)

9/9/2013