March 24, 2026 3:50 a.m. 

Eleven local fire fighters from the Douglas Forest Protective Association are among a group deployed to help with fires in North Carolina

DFPA Public Information Officer Rachel Pope said, “This is more than just a chance to help communities in need, it’s also an opportunity for our firefighters to learn, grow, and gain experience working in different terrains, fuel types and fire conditions”. Pope said, “They bring that knowledge back with them, making the service we provide here at home even stronger and more effective”.

Pope said the deployment helps to fulfill a state-to-state mutual aid agreement. A total of twenty-one firefighters made the trip along with crews from Coos Forest Protective Association and other firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry. The crew arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina Sunday night and traveled to Ashville Monday morning for an in-brief from North Carolina fire leadership.

Pope said the deployment highlights how important grant funding is to the work of DFPA. Pope said that support allows the agency to keep its highly qualified wildland firefighters employed during the off-season. That way their experience can be retained and DFPA can stay prepared and continue building its team year-round.

ODF’s Deputy Protection Division Chief Ron Graham said, “Oregon has a strong relationship with North Carolina. They regularly send resources in our time of need, and we support them when we’re able”. Graham said, “Their wildfire seasons is earlier in the calendar year than ours, making for an effective partnership of sharing resources”. Graham said this rotation is scheduled to last for two weeks.

An ODF release said Oregon can and has called on its out-of-state partners to send resources when wildfires here exceeded the local and state response capacity. Most recently in 2025, ODF received firefighters and equipment from about seventeen states, provinces and territories.