Forest Grove Fire & Rescue sends crew to fight Cold Springs Fire near Hermiston
Gales Creek resident Neal Hammond was set to take his seat on the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District Board Wednesday night. Instead, he was on wildfire duty near Hermiston called away at the last minute. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue also sent two personnel to the fire.
Neal Hammond and Benjamin Otto were both supposed to be sworn in Wednesday evening to their seats on the board that governs the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District.
The two ran for their uncontested seats during the May 20 election, each winning handily.
Otto, a Dilley-area resident, took his oath, but Hammond, a Gales Creek resident, was unexpectedly absent. He'd joined a task force with his employer, Clackamas Fire District, to fight the fast-growing Cold Springs Fire burning near Hermiston in Umatilla County.
Before working for Clackamas Fire District, Hammond worked at the Banks Fire District.
"We don't have Neal, as he was called just in the last few minutes," explained FG Rural board President Melinda Fischer, also a Gales Creek resident, during the meeting.
Despite its name, the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District is located not in Forest Grove, but in the ring of rural communities surrounding the city. Gales Creek, Dilley, Verboort, parts of Hillside, and other dots on the map are part of the district.
The Cold Springs Fire was described as a quick, wind-driven fire by the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM). It was at least 1,000 acres as of press time, according to Umatilla County Fire District 1.
Washington County also sent a task force. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue sent a Type 6 brush rig—a firefighting vehicle built on a pickup truck frame—with two personnel, according to Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer Matt Johnston. Banks Fire District sent Brush Rig 13 with Lt. Julie Kemper, a veteran of such deployments, and Firefighter Tommy Sill.
"It must be pretty significant, because it was an immediate need, we went right away," said Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Chief Jim Geering during the meeting.
FGF&R PIO Matt Johnston said the initial deployment was classified as "Immediate Response" from the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
"We have a shorter time to prepare and respond," he said, noting that he believes the time on the fire would be shorter than a typical conflagration.
"It's to add resources ASAP to help keep the fire small," he said.
The Emergency Conflagration Act was later invoked Wednesday evening, the third such time the act has been used this fire season.
Also among the agencies deployed was Gaston Rural Fire District, who sent Lt. Randy Hoodenpyl, deployed three times this season on fires outside Gaston's jurisdiction. Firefighter and engineer Makoa Soares joined Hoodenpyl, along with Brush Rig 1121, a vehicle provided to the agency through a grant from the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue also joined the task force, as did Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and several Clackamas County fire agencies.
"The Oregon State Fire Marshal initially sent help through immediate response on Wednesday afternoon, with two structural task forces from Clackamas and Washington counties and air support through agreements with the Oregon Department of Forestry," OSFM said in a press release. "To provide additional help, the agency is mobilizing its Green Incident Management Team and two more task forces," the agency added in a release issued after 8 p.m. Wednesday.
“The latest wildfire forecast for July and August is extremely concerning,” said State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “Over the last 48 hours, we saw thousands of lightning strikes across the state, and Red Flag Warnings issued for critical fire danger. I’m calling on everyone to pay attention to the conditions and take the necessary steps to prevent sparking a human-caused fire.”
