Local News

Oregon's wildfire response continues to evolve with the Department of Forestry's recent addition of regional air attack and ongoing investment in severity aircraft.

Air attack is the airplane and crew that fly above a wildfire to coordinate aircraft and groundwork to stop a fire -- a flying air traffic control center. Air attack has three primary responsibilities -- keeping firefighters safe, ensuring accurate drops of water and retardant, and giving incident commanders a clear picture of the fire.

Recent investments by Oregon's legislature gave ODF two regional air attack teams.

The regional air attack builds on the "severity aircraft" program to better use state resources. Over the past couple of decades, the legislature has continued investing in firefighters and technology that return great results.

ODF Director of Fire Operations Kyle Williams said the regional air attack and severity aircraft give the agency a huge advantage and both are excellent investments. He said they help them fight wildfires with surgical precision.

In terms of geographical scope, ODF is the state's largest fire department. The department typically responds to more than 1,000 fires each year. Most fires you never hear of because ODF's fast, effective response keeps many under 10 acres.