Mobilization: The Dalles and Taylor Creek Wildfires in Oregon

This summer in the Pacific Northwest was especially bad for wildfires.  We had a very dry summer and we were paying for it in July and August.

Just after the 4th of July is when some of the worst ones started.  Typically, they happen in the central and east part of the states and in Oregon parts of the southern border.  In British Columbia, a lot of the eastern part of the providence was on fire.  Most of them were caused by severe thunderstorms and others were accidental and or man made.

Ben missed the first call at the beginning of July on our way to watch fireworks in Fife with Walter and Wendy.  He told them he would be ready for the next one whenever that was going to be.

We had been getting ready for Lindsay and Justin's wedding when all of a sudden the night of July 19th, we got the call Ben has been waiting for and of course it would be the weekend in which we had plans.  He was super bummed that it conflicted with their wedding but he was glad because it would be a little extra money.  I texted Lindsay and Nicole that night and told her Ben wasn't coming.  They were both sad but they understood the circumstance.  I was riding solo that weekend.

Ben got together the rest of his stuff for his red bag and headed to the fire station with his crew.  He didn't know how long he would be gone but up to two weeks and he also had no idea if he would have cell phone service but when he did he would check in.

This would be the first time since 2012 he has been on a MOBE.

His first assignment was just south of The Dalles in Oregon on the Substation Fire.  The Substation Fire started on July 17 on private land.  The strong winds spread the fire over 18 miles in just a few short days.  A lot of agriculture, which was very important for the livelihoods of farmers, burned up quickly.  The governor of Oregon declared a state of emergency and the National Guard was called in among several fire departments from all over the Pacific Northwest to come fight the fire.  The three communities closest were evacuated.

Ben was only there for about four days.  There, he met a fellow firefighter named Ricky, he was from Yelm and was with the SE Thurston County fire station (Ricky is not pictured in blog).  He would be spending the remaining time in Oregon with him.  Their job was spent driving around looking for hot spots in the fields.

They got the call from their unit lead and found out they were needed down by Grants Pass/Medford, which was about a 300 mile drive, for the Taylor Creek Fire.

This fire was started on July 15th due to lightening.  The fire burned approximately 52,839 acres in about three months.

Ben and his unit got down there and settled into a building that was part of the North Valley High School campus.  They called it the "Kingdom".  It was air conditioned, which was absolutely necessary, they worked the night shift because it was so hot during the day.  It was super smoky the entire time he was there.

During this time I only got to talk to Ben during a very small window of time.  Usually the cell phone service was so terrible I didn't hear from him until they got back into town.  He shared several stories of his adventures in the wilderness which included burnt rattlesnakes, a very weird mural inside a drug lord's house, ass bats and a resort in which the patrons applauded the firefighters.

The night shift consisted of burning acreage (which helped contain the fire, fighting fire with fire), hiking, saving structures and warning people who have not evacuated yet to prepare for the possibility.

He said it was very hot and sweaty work.  The food was appreciated but it soon got old.  My friend Jessie who married Mike a few years ago, moved to Medford to pursue his aviation career.  She asked me if bringing Ben and his unit some extra food (muffins, jerky) from Costco would be plausible.  I said it probably was but she would have to get a hold of him because his schedule was pretty erratic.  I gave her his phone number and they did cross paths one afternoon while in Grants Pass.  I got a text message from Jessie telling me that after five years she finally got to meet Ben.

Ben and his unit came home the afternoon of August 2.  He and all of his belongings smelled like smoke.  I told him to leave them out on the back porch or in the garage and to take a shower.  They really didn't have time to do much grooming except for showers while he was down there so he came home with a gross beard.  He shaved, cut his hair and showered.

Over the next few days he went through his red bag.  A lot of the stuff was washed, re-packed and ready for the next call.  Those calls can happen at a moments notice and you'd better be ready to go.

**His next call was in mid-September when he went over to Yakima county for a fire near Mabton called Glade Creek.  It was also started by lightening and burned about 13,000 acres before it was contained.  He was gone for about four days.**

Next Adventure:  Erika Moved in Again