May 9, 2023 3:00 a.m.

On Monday, the Oregon Department of Forestry deployed 22 firefighters to Alberta, Canada through the Northwest Compact to provide extra support in fighting their wildfires.

An ODF release said the Northwest Compact is a mutual assistance agreement that allows five northwest states, including Oregon, and five northwest Canadian provinces and territories to easily share resources with one another, creating a larger and more comprehensive fire management system.

Currently, Alberta is experiencing an influx of fire activity with over 100 active wildfires across the province.  Of those, at least 14 are larger wildfires.

The ODF team will be on a standard-two-week deployment in Alberta and will return with new knowledge on firefighting tactics, refined skills and stronger relationships with the partners to the north.

The Northwest Compact is in its 25th year.