Mutual Aid Agreements Benefits Oregon Forest, ODF Says

Nearly a dozen Oregon firefighters are on their way to Texas for the coming weeks, to help local crews battle wildfires across the Lone Star state. Oregon’s Department of Forestry said 21 others just returned from Texas, and 17 more remain in New Mexico on a similar mission. ODF’s Jason Cox said these mutual aid agreements shouldn’t put Oregon at risk.

“We evaluate our own capacity prior to agreeing to send firefighters to another state, to ensure that we’re ready to respond to any fires that may pop up in Oregon; and that’s pretty critical.”

He noted ODF sends a variety of personnel, from firefighters to support staff. Cox said Oregon benefits from this mutual aid agreement as well.

"They return the favor when we get into July and August. When our fire season is in full swing, you’ll see firefighters coming in from different states. We’ve had firefighters coming into Oregon from as far away as Canada and Mexico.”

Cox added ODF evaluates its capacity to respond to any possible fires in Oregon before deciding whether to deploy crews elsewhere.

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