A direct update from Chad Northcraft, our Incident Management Specialist:
We occasionally hear the question, "Why do we send our people out west?" While it's not a common inquiry, it does come up from time to time. When it does, and if the person is willing to listen, I take the opportunity to explain how the experience we gain from large-scale incidents directly benefits situations here in the Commonwealth. A perfect example is unfolding right now: the PEMA Incident Management Team (IMT) is currently assisting Tioga County with the flood damage they sustained over the weekend. Out of the 25 or so people on this team, 16 are from forestry. This isn't a coincidence. These individuals have qualifications and experience gained directly from fire assignments. Each of them started at the bottom of their respective sections and worked their way up through dedication and experience.
The program also offers significant personal growth opportunities, allowing individuals to step into leadership roles. This growth isn’t limited to the fire line or during incidents but extends to the daily work we do. I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who supports this program. Often, in these updates, I share how grateful citizens from other states are for our help, but today, I believe there are citizens in the northern part of our state who are equally thankful that we have this program.
Crew Updates:
- PA-PAS – Keystone: Returned home.
- PA-PAS – E-603: Currently stationed at the Wenatchee River Ranger District in Washington. They’re engaged in Initial Attack operations and have responded to several small fires. We’ve extended the crew’s assignment to allow more time for qualified resources to become available.
- PA-PAS – Liberty: Returned home.
- PA-PAS – Independence: Today marks their final workday. Despite the district’s request to keep them on, we couldn’t arrange a crew swap due to a shortage of qualified personnel. While we have plenty of willing FFT2s, we lacked the necessary overhead and fallers to form a complete crew. As a result, they’ll be driving home and are expected to arrive sometime over the weekend. They’ll complete demobilization tomorrow, and I’ll update everyone with the details as I receive them.
- PA-PAS – Anthracite: This crew has moved from the Rocky Mountain GACC to the Great Basin GACC and is now assigned to the Middle Fork Complex (formerly the Bulldog Fire). They’ve been putting in long hours, doing the hard work that crews do: digging, burning, mopping up, dragging hose, and occasionally catching some rest. Photos from the crew:
Single Resources:
- Total number of resources for the year: 55
- Total number currently on assignment: 12
Incident Management Team:
- 16 resources assigned.
- Currently getting up and running, I will have a better update on the next one.
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