By Army Sgt. Tyler Meister 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BROOKINGS, Ore., Sept. 11, 2017 — A sky full of ash looms
overhead while Oregon Army and Air National Guardsmen work around the clock to
help contain the threat of fires consuming the Oregon hills near here since
July.
As of Sept. 8, nearly 600 Oregon National Guardsmen had
volunteered to join the fight against wildfires across the state, working
alongside local, state and federal agencies to battle one of the worst fire
seasons in Oregon’s history.
The largest of these fires, the Chetco Bar Fire, was started
by a lightning strike near the Chetco River in July and continues to burn
southern Oregon in the rural areas around the town of Brookings. With a total
of 182,284 acres burned so far, relief crews are working nonstop to contain the
threat and prevent it from spreading and endangering local populations and
structures.
“Every day, on the way out to the fire lines, we pass
through the town of Brookings and the locals are always waving at us with
smiles on their faces,” said Army Spc. Isaiah Wunische, a human resource
specialist with the 2nd Battalion, 218th Field Artillery Regiment. “They
constantly give praises, and their support has rallied our troops here and
helped keep morale extremely high.”
Training
Wunische said that most of the other Oregon National Guard
personnel working alongside him were also called onto State Active Duty orders
for 21 days. The troops spent their first five days at the Oregon Department of
Public Safety Standards and Training academy in Salem, Oregon, earning their
certifications to go out on the fire lines and fight the fires.
“I was more than willing to come help out my state when they
needed it the most and the training we received at the DPSST was great at
preparing us to help our fellow Oregonians in need,” Wunische said.
Ensuring soldiers and airmen can remain on the fire lines
has been the responsibility of medics like Army Sgt. K-Cee Sperry, a combat
medic with Company C, 141st Brigade Support Battalion. Sperry and her team have
been able to triage minor medical ailments for their fellow guardsmen at the
Chetco Bar Fire, such as blisters and rolled ankles.
“This is my second time supporting the wildfire season and
it has been a fantastic experience,” Sperry said. “We have been resourcing with
the civilian medical teams out here to ensure that all personnel and supply
needs are met and the soldiers can get back out on the fire lines [as soon as
possible] to continue doing their job.”
Helping Others
Sperry said that challenges and experiences like this are
why she and many others joined the National Guard. Being able to support fellow
Oregonians and troops in order to give back has been the most rewarding aspect
of the experience, she added.
Soldiers and airmen from all corners of Oregon have
volunteered to help out with this year’s fire season and the team at the Chetco
Bar Fire has been under the leadership of the military liaison, Army Maj.
Christopher Markesino, commander of Charlie Company, 141st Brigade Support
Battalion.
A total of 240 Army and Air National Guardsmen from 14
different units have come together at the Chetco Bar Fire, and Markesino said
they have been able to seamlessly mesh together and do an outstanding job at
working together to support the fire relief.
“The National Guard’s presence here has focused on
supporting the incident commander and firefighters of the city of Brookings
with putting out the fire and traffic assistance points,” he said.
Markesino has worked side-by-side with many civil
authorities in the incident command post and he said the experience has been
extremely educational and fulfilling because they are very professional and
supportive of the National Guard’s mission there.
“I feel that we [the National Guard] are best suited to help
in these types of disasters because this is our home and we will fight harder
for our home than anyone else will,” he said. “We would not be able to do this
without the support and understanding we receive from our employers and
families.”
Every year Oregon wildfires demand a lot from local, state
and federal agencies that are in place to handle these types of disasters, but
not every fire season requires a large call-up of National Guard firefighters.
Camaraderie
One veteran of the Oregon fire season, Adrian Torres, who
works for the Oregon Department of Forestry as a wild lands fires specialist,
said he has enjoyed being able to reminisce about his eight years in the Marine
Corps while working with the National Guard troops during the fire seasons.
“The National Guard supporters who are here to help us have
greatly relieved the work load, all while maintaining a super positive
atmosphere,” Torres said. “The biggest challenge for the National Guard helpers
is the stamina involved in fighting a wildfire, but it has been refreshing to
see just how motivated and eager these guardsmen have been.”
More and more teams will be continuously rotating to and
from the Chetco Bar Fire as the blaze continues to burn, but Markesino said
that the Oregon fire season is fortunately nearing its end and Oregonians can
rest easy knowing that guardsmen are on the scene.
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