As wildfires tear across the state in the deepening summer, turning parched grass and woodlands into firestorms of burning cinders, more firefighters from Grays Harbor County have been deployed to assist the departments and agencies fighting to protect lives and property.

A pair of firefighters from the Montesano Fire Department and one from East Grays Harbor Fire and Rescue joined the efforts fighting the Pioneer Fire, near Stehekin in Eastern Washington, which has already incinerated more than 30,000 acres of wildland.

“This year it seems like Grays Harbor is being very active and very supportive in the state’s wildland firefighting effort,” said Hoquiam Fire Chief Matt Miller, who is responsible for seeing which assets and firefighters are available for tasking each week in support of wildland firefighting operations across the state. “If there’s a disaster and they’re asking for more people or equipment, it comes under that group.”

There are currently about eight firefighters from the county deployed out in support of the major wildfires across the state, Miller said.

“Each department has a coordinator. They all report back to me what vehicles and personnel they have available for the upcoming week,” Miller said. “‘I’ve got three people but no vehicles. I have one person and one vehicle.’ I help coordinate with staffing and vehicles to make teams.”

With teams assembled, firefighters are deployed as needed to help battle the major blazes across the state. Deployments are usually about 14 days on the line, with an option to extend that, Miller said.

“The standard is 14 days of work days. Typically you have to travel to get there,” Miller said. “They can extend you out to 21 work days. The state is trying, this year especially, to keep people at 14 days and not overwork them so early on.”

Firefighters slot in a variety of capacities from digging hand lines, to operating engines and other vehicles, to providing medical support, to working on the operations side of things, Miller said.

“There’s a lot of jobs and avenues available to those that are interested,” Miller said. “We have another person who is currently at a fire east of Walla Walla going as a base camp manager trainee. There’s all sorts of different positions and jobs.”

Conditions on the front lines of a major fire aren’t far from a military deployment.

“Typically, it’s in Eastern Washington. It’s hot. It’s dry. Typically there’s no air conditioning. Your shower is in a semi-trailer with 10 other stalls. You’re eating mass-produced, cooked food. You’re using a portapotty,” Miller said. “To some that may be glamorous. To some, that may not be.”

Firefighters with their red cards, or wildland firefighting qualifications, will signal their availability for taskings to their department coordinator, who in turn relay that information to Miller. If selected for a deployment, the department will first make sure their shifts here in the county are covered, before releasing them to the state.

“You’ve been approved by DNR. You’ll meet at this location at this time and go to whatever fire,” Miller said. “It’s all voluntary. When you get mobilized, the state reimburses the department for the staff time. But they also reimburse for the backfill.”

While those volunteering tend to be on the younger side, veteran firefighters also volunteer to go fill more complex roles such as strike team leader or base camp manager, Miller said.

“There’s places like Montesano that have some very young eager volunteers that want to go out,” Miller said. “This year we’ve sent out a couple of more seasoned people between Aberdeen and Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. It’s something different.”

Countywide, Aberdeen, Cosmopolis, Districts 1, 2, and 7, East Grays Harbor Fire and Rescue, Hoquiam, Montesano and South Beach Regional Fire Authority are part of this arrangement.

“Over the last two to three years, it started with us and District 2 being able to utilize and swap equipment back and forth for wildland mobilization,” Miller said. “That has expanded over the last two years to include all the other departments.”

The arrangement also helps to mate up equipment and staffing from departments that may have more of one or the other.

“Our brush truck has gone out four times and it’s gone out with Aberdeen and Cosmopolis people on it,” Miller said. “It helps everybody. It helps the county build teams and interact and work together.”

Miller says the county departments aren’t blind to the risk posed by wildfires right here at home, balancing deployments with maintaining enough capability locally to combat wildfires.

“We also have to keep in mind local conditions,” Miller said. “It’s a chess game of moving people around and keeping them here and not moving them when you don’t have to.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.

Courtesy photo / MFD The Pioneer Creek fire has consumed more than 30,000 acres of wildlands.

Courtesy photo / GHEM Many firefighters and other emergency personnel from Grays Harbor have been deployed to assist in combatting wildfires across the state.