With National Preparedness Level 5 declared and 27,400+ firefighting personnel committed to active incidents, the nation's firefighting infrastructure is being pushed to its limits. To meet demand in the Pacific Northwest — currently the most fire-active region in the country — federal agencies have activated international mutual aid, deployed military airtankers, and assembled the largest coordinated firefighting workforce seen in years.

International Crews Arrive from Australia and New Zealand

Under the longstanding International Crew Exchange Program, one 15-member incident management team and 59 fireline management personnel from Australia and New Zealand have been deployed to support large fire suppression efforts in the Northwest. International crews bring critical expertise and help fill gaps created by the simultaneous large-fire siege that has stretched domestic capacity to its limits.

Additionally, NIFC reports that 27 Complex Incident Management Teams and two National Incident Management Organizations are actively supporting suppression operations nationally, with a heavy concentration of those resources in the Pacific Northwest.

MAFFS Airtankers Bolster Aerial Fleet

Four Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) C-130 airtankers remain deployed to Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Redding, California, augmenting the national aerial firefighting fleet during this period of extreme demand. The MAFFS aircraft are operated by Air National Guard units and represent a critical surge capacity resource that can be activated when civilian air tanker availability is overwhelmed.

From Klamath Falls, MAFFS aircraft are well-positioned to support southern Oregon fires including the Coleman Creek and Rowe Creek Complex. The Redding base provides quick-response capability to northern California and can reach southern Oregon fires within a reasonable flight time.

Oregon Holds Four of the Nation's Largest Active Fires

The scale of Oregon's fire situation is reflected in the resource demand: Oregon currently holds four of the nation's largest active fires. The state has drawn resources from across the country, with incident management teams, hand crews, engine crews, helicopter crews, and dozer operators coming from states as distant as Florida, Texas, and the Southeast.

The Rowe Creek Complex near Fossil alone has nearly 2,000 personnel assigned. The Coleman Creek Fire east of Burns has multiple IMTs engaged. This level of resourcing is simply not sustainable indefinitely — fire managers are increasingly making difficult triage decisions about where limited resources can do the most good.

Workforce and Safety Concerns

Extended deployment durations, extreme heat, and hazardous smoke conditions are creating elevated safety risks for firefighting personnel. Crew rotation schedules are being compressed by resource scarcity. Fire managers are emphasizing crew rest requirements and situational awareness during a period when fatigue-related accidents can occur.

  • Personnel deployed nationally: 27,400+
  • International personnel: 74 (Australia and New Zealand)
  • MAFFS C-130 airtankers: 4 (Klamath Falls, OR and Redding, CA)
  • Complex IMTs deployed: 27
  • National IMOs: 2

For more information on the national firefighting resource situation, visit nifc.gov.