August 4, 2023 3:20 a.m.

With fire danger increasing and Red Flag Warnings issued for a large part of Oregon east of the Cascades, the Oregon State Fire Marshal is pre-positioning firefighters and equipment in central Oregon.

An OSFM release said two task forces from Clatsop and Washington counties mobilized Friday. These firefighters will be pre-positioned in Jefferson County for 72 hours and will stay longer if needed. The two task forces add firefighting capacity if a brush or wildfire break out.

Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said, “The increased fire danger and the threat of dry lightning across portions of Oregon is concerning as we head into the weekend”. Ruiz-Temple said, “We’re using the power of the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to move resources and add capacity to respond to any fire that may spark. Our goal is to keep fires small and away from communities”.

The release said these centrally-located task forces give OSFM the ability to quickly move firefighters to other parts of the state if they are needed.

Pre-positioning resources is one of the tools that OSFM has as part of its Response Ready Oregon initiative. These resources boost initial fire attack and allow a quick response to emerging fires in Oregon. These firefighters and equipment are not assigned to a specific fire but are ready to respond if there is a fire.

The release said with Oregon in the heart of wildfire season, the OSFM encourages all Oregonians to be aware of the dry conditions and take necessary precautions to avoid sparking a human-caused fire. Residents who spot a fire are asked to report it immediately.