Fire district readies for next fire season

Two Pend Oreille County first responders returned home from deployment to the Lane 1 Fire in western Oregon with plenty of ideas for how to fight fires at home.

Fire chief and paramedic Christopher Haynes and respiratory therapist and EMT Nickey Bye of Pend Oreille County Fire District 2, and the fire district's administrative said the information learned at the fires already has them preparing for next year’s "fire season" by making adjustments to their service model to benefit both the fire assistance model and district members who mobilize to fires. In light of the positive changes, the fire district is accepting employment applications for temporary employment next summer.  

One of the features new this year already was the addition of Starlink internet connections for the medical and fire apparatus sent out on a fire. Not only does this help the remote crew stay connected to the staff back home in Ione, Wash., but it is also a welcomed service for the other mobilized departments.  

It is important for command staff to deploy to fire from time to time. This gives the staff a break from the frontlines and gets the administration into the trenches themselves so to say while still completing their administrative tasks. It’s all hands on deck this way and the work of bringing additional revenue in for the District is shared by all. 

“This has given me a good understanding of what my frontline people are facing when they mobilize on these fire incidents," Haynes said. "This allows me as an administrator to make adjustments within our delivery model for an enhanced performance and support for our team. It’s given me an even more profound appreciation for my district members who deploy on these fires. They face many challenges including being far away from home for long periods of time. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have truly experienced it firsthand.” 

Fire District 2 is part of state and national programs providing local resources to large, wildland fires. This drives extra revenue back into the District. Each fire is managed by an incident management team consisting of about 50 people who manage large fires from operations, planning, logistics, medical, air operations, finance, weather, to communications. It is important for department heads to interact with these teams as these mobilizations have become vital to the revenue stream of Fire District 2. Depending on the contract, the complement will include EMT firefighters or paramedic-firefighters with medical or firefighting equipment. For more information, call 509-442-2311. To be considered for employment now or for next summer’s ‘fire season,’ visit pocfd2.org and download the application form.