By DIANE KAHLER/Correspondent/The Herald — North Klamath County and the Deschutes National Forest are in preparation for a dangerous fire season. We are all aware of the devastation from last year’s fire season. The Highway 58 corridor was spared, but the McKenzie River valley was ravaged with the loss of hundreds of homes.
The firefighters who respond so fast — where do they come from? These men and women put their lives on the line to protect us. In the Deschutes National Forest, the responders are diverse but the goals are the same. Let’s meet them:
CENTRAL CASCADES FIRE & EMS: The Department responds to structure fires within the District. The fire station is also a Community Center.
They have mutual aid from the Klamath County Fire Defense Board. This station was a staging area for the Royce Butte Fire. Fire fighters were fed, given water and places to sleep and rest.
Central Cascades will respond to other types of fires at the request of the Incident Commander for mutual aid. The fire chief is Bradley Kahler.
WALKER RANGE FIRE PATROL: Walker Range Fire Patrol responds to fires on private land. They are located in Crescent, Ore. Walker Range was first organized in 1927 in part by the Gilchrist Timber Company. Their mission is to protect lands in North Klamath County.
Walker also works with the community on fire prevention, hazard assessments, residential chipping and fuel mitigation assistance. Walker will also respond to the incident commander’s call for mutual aid.
The district manager is R.D. Buell who has been with Walker Range for over 40 years.
CRESCENT RANGER DISTRICT: This office manages the Deschutes National Forest for our area. The fire management officer is Ryan Sullivan. He is the person in charge, the incident commander. He can pull all resources together.
This ranger district also manages the Fire Watch Tower on Odell Butte (elevation 7,030 feet). Ryan wanted to note that the same person has been working that tower for 41 years! He calls in a large percentage of the fires in this area.
REDMOND TANKER BASE: The tanker base is located at the Redmond Airport. The Forest Service Incident Commander can dispatch these services.
Other fire-related operations at the Redmond Airport include the Redmond Smokejumpers, the Northwest Fire Training Center, the Redmond Hotshots, and the Regional Air Group which supplies pilots for the jumpers and lead planes.
DIAMOND PEAK WILDERNESS AREA: This wilderness is adjacent to the Crescent Lake Community. It was declared Wilderness Area in 1964 and is 52,477 acres. One-half is within Deschutes National Forest and one-half is within Willamette National Forest. Fire Management Officer Ryan Sullivan would Command fires in our area. Firefighting in a wilderness area has its restrictions. Road access is limited and trails are few. The Commander can call in mutual aid, tankers, smoke jumpers and hand crews.
All of these people, agencies and districts are at the ready. They will respond. They are trained and they are experienced. What we, the people who live here and travel here, need to do is be aware. It is fire season. Be careful. Be cautious.
Diane Fleming Kahler of Crescent Lake is The Herald’s correspondent for the southeastern stretch of Highway 58, beginning at Willamette Pass and extending 24 miles to Highway 97.
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