When other states are dealing with severe wildfire activity, Department of Forestry (DOF) emergency responders can volunteer to deploy and assist through a national agreement between states and federal agencies. DOF staff deployed to Alaska earlier this year, and more recently, eight DOF wildland firefighters deployed to Washington state. Wildfires have burned more than 40,000 acres in Washington this year. The DOF team was split into two crews of four and assigned engines. Over three weeks, the crews traveled around Washington, from the coast to the mountains, conducting mop-up operations to ensure any lingering hotspots wouldn’t reignite.
– Photos courtesy Virginia Department of Forestry
