MONTGOMERY-Over the weekend, seven Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) wildland firefighters from across the state left for fire-fighting details out West. Five were dispatched to wildfires in Oregon, while two were assigned to Washington State, which is dealing with one of the largest wildfires in its history.
According to Alabama’s State Forester Greg Pate, these veteran AFC firefighters accepted a 16-day assignment through an agreement with the U. S. Forest Service. All have passed the strictest training and physical fitness requirements, and have previously fought Western fires in recent years, including details in California, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas. “Although our staff is extremely small, we feel the need to help our sister states and brotherhood of firefighters in their time of need,” said Pate. “The experience these firefighters gain through these assignments helps us in meeting our mandate of suppressing forest fires in Alabama.”
While much of Alabama has enjoyed measurable rainfall this summer, many western states continue to suffer from extreme or exceptional drought, allowing large wildfires to quickly rage out of control.
To learn more about the Alabama Forestry Commission, visit http://www.forestry.alabama.gov/.
MEDIA RELEASE/Forestry Commission, Alabama /Balsie Butler
