Australia and New Zealand Deploy Record 240+ Firefighters as U.S. Hits National Preparedness Level 5

As the 2026 wildfire season pushes the national firefighting system to its limits, the United States has called on international allies for the largest foreign wildland fire assistance ever assembled. Australia and New Zealand have sent more than 240 firefighters and support personnel — the largest contingent either country has ever dispatched to the United States — with the bulk of the force deployed to the Pacific Northwest.

International Partnerships in Action

The deployment is facilitated through long-standing bilateral agreements between the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, which enable emergency exchange of firefighting resources during peak seasons. Because the Southern Hemisphere's fire season runs from roughly October through March, Australian and New Zealand firefighters are available during the U.S. summer and fall — creating a natural complement to the northern fire season.

NIFC spokesperson Jessica Gardetto confirmed that the international crews are being placed primarily on high-priority incidents in the Pacific Northwest, where fires like the Little Giant Fire in Washington State and several complex fires in Oregon and Idaho continue to burn with thousands of structures at stake.

Military Personnel on the Fire Line

Active-duty U.S. military personnel have also been deployed to assist with firefighting operations, particularly on incidents in Washington State. Military crews have been working alongside civilian firefighters on incidents including the Sisi Fire near Stehekin, where a remote location and difficult terrain have made conventional ground operations challenging.

The use of military personnel in wildfire suppression is authorized under the National Response Framework and has become increasingly common as the scale and duration of fire seasons have grown over the past two decades.

National Workforce at Maximum

With National Preparedness Level 5 declared, the nation's firefighting infrastructure is operating at full capacity. More than 21,268 firefighters, support personnel, and overhead staff are currently assigned to active incidents across the country.

Preparedness Level 5 — the highest on the scale — is declared when national resource demand is at its greatest and the system's ability to respond to new large fires or expanding existing fires is severely constrained. At this level, agency administrators are authorized to reassign resources from lower-priority incidents to higher-priority ones.

Northwest Preparedness Level 4

The Northwest Geographic Area — covering Oregon and Washington — is operating at Preparedness Level 4, one step below the national maximum. The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) in Portland is coordinating resource allocation across 36 active large fires in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Fire managers say the combination of extremely dry fuels, active fire behavior, and multiple complex incidents burning simultaneously has made resource prioritization one of the most challenging logistical exercises of recent memory.

How You Can Help

Wildfire relief and recovery organizations in Oregon and Washington are accepting donations to assist displaced residents and support firefighter welfare programs. Residents in fire-prone areas can also help by: