The wildfire crisis gripping the Pacific Northwest has triggered a rare international response. The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise announced this week the mobilization of 74 fire management specialists from Australia and New Zealand to support ongoing wildfire suppression operations across Oregon and Washington.
International Support Under Longstanding Agreements
The international mobilization is taking place under bilateral wildfire assistance agreements that have been in effect since 2002. These arrangements enable the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Mexico to share firefighting resources when any one country's fire activity demands capacity beyond what domestic resources can provide.
The 74 specialists will provide 30 days of operational support, primarily in management and planning roles where their expertise can help direct ground-level operations. Australia and New Zealand fire seasons run opposite to the Northern Hemisphere's — their summer ends around March — making their experienced firefighters available to assist during the peak of the North American fire season.
This is not the first time the Northwest has relied on international assistance. The 2020, 2021, and 2024 fire seasons all saw Australian and New Zealand personnel working in Oregon and Washington. NIFC maintains the international support program through NMAC coordination.
Domestic Resources Fully Committed
The need for international support reflects just how completely domestic firefighting capacity has been absorbed. Across the country, all 569 hand crews, 1,534 engines, and 158 helicopters tracked by NIFC are either committed to incidents or mobilized for rapid deployment. Oregon and Washington alone have 18 Complex Incident Management Teams assigned — leaving virtually no reserve capacity at the national level.
At National Preparedness Level 5, the highest alert tier, the NMAC actively manages all resource requests through a centralized process. Incidents must compete nationally for any additional crews, aircraft, or equipment — a stark contrast to lower preparedness levels where regions can often source resources locally or within their geographic area.
Northwest Coordination Center at Full Capacity
The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) in Portland — the hub for resource coordination across Oregon and Washington — is operating around the clock. The NWCC coordinates logistics for all state and federal agencies in the region, including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the National Park Service.
Fire managers acknowledge that the current level of fire activity is expected to continue for weeks. Fuels remain critically dry across most of the region, the National Weather Service is forecasting continued above-normal temperatures, and no significant precipitation is in the extended forecast for Oregon or Washington east of the Cascades.
Volunteer and Local Support
With professional firefighting resources stretched thin, local fire departments and volunteer fire companies across central and eastern Oregon have been activated to support structure protection and perimeter patrol operations. County OEMs are coordinating with local agencies to ensure communities have some layer of protection even when larger resources are tasked to the most active fire flanks.
Members of the public can support firefighting efforts by following all fire restrictions, reporting new fire starts immediately to 911, keeping roads clear for emergency vehicles, and not driving into active fire areas.