Hampshire Fire exchange program in third year

For the third year in a row, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District is hosting firefighters from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service in southern England.

Returning for his third time, Station Manager and International Exchange Director David Hodge came with shift supervisors and firefighters Dan Burden and Rob Gargaro, who are visiting Oregon for their first time. They were training and touring Oregon with the Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD for two weeks.

"It was advertised to our department and Dan and I were interested so we applied amongst other applicants to be chosen to come," said Gargaro.

"We are honestly shocked to be here and so grateful, the hospitality here is amazing," said Burden.

The exchange with the two departments started with a conversation between the Hampshire Fire Chief and Sisters Fire Chief Roger Johnson at a conference in Portland five years ago. They found the conversations they were having about the different types of firefighting in different areas to be very beneficial. They thought it would be interesting to actually have the two sets of fire lines do an exchange.

"Basically, one group learns more about urban wildfire fighting and one learns our area, the more rural, big forest fires," said Deputy Chief Tim Craig. "It cost us less to send firefighters over for hands-on, located training than tuition of a local class on the same things, so we love having the exposure that furthers firefighters in their careers; it changes their mindset on how firefighting works."

In England, fighting large fires is quite different because there is less space and more infrastructure to worry about.

"There are critical risk areas closer to the fires we are fighting, so we can't afford to have it grow larger - there is a much more massive impact with smaller fires than here," said Gargaro.

Hodge was on scene at the massive fires in Manchester earlier this year. In Manchester, hot spots would seep into the deep peat moss that exists on the landscape and had to be dug out and put out. The environment and climate is different there. However, many of the skills are transferrable, and some of the experiences have had a direct impact at home.

Last year, the Hampshire firefighters arrived in the midst of Sisters' Milli Fire.

Hodge said he enjoyed being able to be on a big incident and see the incident management team in action.

"It is what we come here to do and see, not that we would wish another one of those fires on Sisters; we do come here to be on incidents and that's why we come at this time of year as well," said Hodge.

"While in Manchester I got to work with an incident management team, much like I did here in Central Oregon last year, so I knew how that process worked," said Hodge. "In Manchester, we also had aerial attack which is much rarer there. I was able to use a lot of the management skills I learned here, on that fire scene."

Training started for Gargaro and Burden before they arrived in Oregon. They started with doing online, simulated wildland firefighting training.

"The online training is very similar basics to what we know, we are just put in different environments," said Burden.

"We have a lot of the foundational skills already that we just build upon," said Gargaro.

"The new stuff wasn't difficult to learn and we enjoy getting to see how and learn how different fuels burn and consolidating what we already know about it," said Burden.

They began their hands-on training last week which includes, digging lines and pulling hose lines. They will learn the key differences in structure fighting, given that homes and structures are much newer and differently designed than those in England.

"The three will also be going up to Portland one of the weeks to conduct training with a department up there to learn the urban, condensed firefighting in an Oregon city," said Craig.

"We look forward to learning the key differences and then applying the skills we learn to the firefighting we do in our environments," said Gargaro.

Tuesday afternoon, August 28, the crew went up to the Terwilliger Fire in Blue River to get some hands-on work, and learning on the changeover in operational incident management teams.

"The day we headed up there we were able to see what it looks like when one team leaves the fire and another comes in, an important aspect for these firefighters, given they are operational managers," said Craig.

Hodge and the others could not speak enough of the appreciation for the hospitality the community has shown them, as well as the hospitality of the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. "You can tell the hospitality is genuine and people are so respectful here," said Gargaro.

"I just want to reinforce that people in the Sisters community are special and respectful, and coming from the other side of the pond, it is refreshing to see," said Hodge.

Said Gargaro, with the agreement of his colleagues, "I think the residents should be very proud of their fire department."