Local agencies handle initial fire attack

Local firefighters with the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service are used to folks in Sisters asking why they're not out fighting a fire in the nearby forests.

Usually, the answer is that their job on that fire is done.

Wayne Rowe of the Sisters office of ODF notes that his agency is tasked with initial attack.

That period covers from the time a fire is reported to when the fire is either controlled or more resources are needed to get it under control.

"The fire danger for a particular day and the particular location of a reported fire determines the number of firefighters and equipment initially dispatched," Rowe said. "If those dispatched resources are adequate and the initial attack is successful, the fire is extinguished. If the fire cannot be controlled and extinguished with the initial resources, the fire goes to the next level, extended attack."

Extended attack is usually, but not always, accompanied with air support in the form of retardant drops from fixed-wing aircraft or water bucket drops from helicopters, Rowe said.

Other resources such as dozers and 20-person firefighting crews usually come to bear during extended attack also. Resources used during extended attack normally come from the immediate area (within 50 or so miles).

Initial attack forces from local agencies may be caught up in extended attack duties, but they are cut loose as quickly as possible to be prepared for other initial attack duties -- in case another fire breaks out.

Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District and Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District responded to Black Butte Ranch to face the threat of structure fires.

However, both agencies left behind plenty of resources to handle an emergency on their home districts.

"We had Sisters well covered with our volunteers and paid staff," said Assistant Fire Chief Ken Enoch.

There were 17 people covering Sisters and two firefighters standing by in Camp Sherman.

Cloverdale Fire Chief Chuck Cable said his department called all their volunteers to make sure there were enough on standby in the district. Since their call-out occurred on Sunday, almost all the volunteers were available.

Cloverdale dispatched two engines to Black Butte Ranch, leaving eight pieces of apparatus on the home district.

The Cache Mountain fire went beyond extended attack to "large fire organization," requiring a management team to be called in from Montana (a Central Oregon team was already assigned elsewhere in this busy fire season).

Battling the blaze required extensive resources and coordination from a variety of agencies -- all of which had to make sure their day-to-day responsibilities were covered.