Earlier this month, the National Interagency Fire Center increased the National Fire Preparedness level to 5. It was the first time since late 2024 that the scale has reached its highest possible level, reflecting the number of deployed and available fire resources and the likelihood of worsening or new fires.
More recently, with dozens of large wildfires burning in Oregon, there is more competition for resources, especially air support.
Troy Oppie spoke with Michael Davis, public information officer with Great Basin Incident Management Team 3 on the Tarter Fire in Washington County.
Read the full transcript below.
Troy Oppie, BSPR: It's Morning Edition on Boise State Public Radio News. Good morning. I'm Troy Oppie. I'm joined this morning by Michael Davis, public information officer with Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team three currently working the Tartar Fire in Washington County. Good morning Michael. Thanks for being here.
Michael Davis: Good morning. Thanks for having me on.
Oppie: Let's just quickly get a state of affairs on the Tartar Fire. This fire sparked from embers blowing across the Snake River from the Fox Fire or the Powder River Fire in Oregon. Is that accurate?
Davis: I believe that's correct. We've currently got the thing at 12,208 acres, and we're doing a pretty good job trying to get a line around it. 12,000 acres is, in the scheme of things, not a huge fire, but this certainly has the potential to go big if it were to continue on into the, you know, in its in its trajectory.
Oppie: Forecasters are definitely concerned about the weather conditions that are going to come into the area this weekend. What are your folks on the ground telling you about some of the concerns they might have with weather conditions?
Davis: Well, our IMAT, our incident meteorologist, has told us that we could experience winds of 30 to 40mph over the fire area. And of course, that is extremely concerning. Uh, we're working really hard to build up a good solid perimeter around the fire. Um, but if the, you know, with winds of that degree, uh, they could stir up fire, uh, heat sources in the, in the interior of the fire and carry embers across our lines. So we're, uh, we're doing all we can to secure the perimeter. We set up two spike camps where we've got firefighters that are camping out near the, the fire itself, uh, so that they can react quickly if there's an issue. And, uh, we're just doing everything we possibly can. We added about, uh, 140 hotshots, uh, in the last day just to beef up our efforts.
Oppie: The national preparedness level is five, that is the highest on a scale of 1 to 5, and that basically means that the maximum number of resources are already deployed. There are dozens of fires burning in Oregon and something a public information officer working the Big Grass fire in southern Oregon and now in southwest Idaho, said the other day really struck me. He characterized trying to get air resources onto their fire as, we're 'competing' for air resources, and we were able to successfully compete and and get some of those to help on the Big Grass Fire. Describe what that competition, if that's the right word, looks like between fires for these limited resources, especially air resources.
Davis: Well, the way it works is, you know, there are a limited number of resources available. Uh, we've got NMAC, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Center, and they're looking at all of the individual fires and they're trying to weigh, uh, the values at risk, and they're trying to put those resources where they'll have the greatest benefit. So it's, it's a really tough, uh, a really tough situation. And, uh, there's some very, very smart people scratching their heads trying to determine the best place to put crews, engines, helicopters, you know, fixed wing aircraft, etc. typically, it doesn't mean that they're going to say, okay, fire A is going to get all the resources and fire B is going is not going to get any. Uh, they will, you know, definitely try to split things up and say, okay, well, fire A is requested five helicopters. We can only give them three. Uh, fire B wants ten hotshot crews. We can only give them four. You know, they'll, they definitely try to meet the requests as best they can and be as balanced and fair as possible.
Oppie: Winds and weather concerns certainly aren't limited to your fire, or even one region that will likely be region wide across the area where there are already many fires burning. If these fires do get worse, are there available resources to add to the suppression efforts on these fires, or is what is already deployed in this region what we're working with for the foreseeable future?
Davis: Well, that is, uh, I'm not privy to what NMAC has on the board. Um, but I would say that we are stretched very thin. Uh, I know on the Tartar fire, uh, we've had a lot of difficulty trying to fill requests, um, for everything from a caterer, shower units, uh, you know, bulldozers, whatever it may be. Uh, you know, as you say, there's everybody needs them and there's a limited supply. I think we're, I think we've got about everything that is available, uh, on the board there, you know, there, there are still some resources that can be pulled up, I'm sure. But, uh, we're, we're, this is a, the system is being taxed pretty heavily.
Oppie: Michael Davis is a public information officer with the Great Basin. Great basin Complex Incident Management Team three. Thanks for your time this morning. Best of luck to you and your team. Stay safe and thanks for your work.
Davis: Thank you, sir. Have a good day.
Transcription generated by software and edited by a human.
