Connection: Training Fights Staff Erosion

The Washington Department of Natural Resources has lost about 100 firefighter positions since the mid-1990s, said emergency operations manager Lane Jolly.

That’s largely due to budget cuts and retirements, Jolly said. The agency has 654 firefighters.

“I think we’re OK,” as far as experienced supervisors, Jolly said. “We’re continually planning. We keep people trained.

“We don’t send green kids to fight fires without proper leadership.”

In response to the manpower shortage, the DNR has worked with local fire departments and federal land-management agencies to form seven teams that can respond to emergencies of any kind. The interagency teams, with 35 people each, are new this year. While all members are trained to fight fires, some also have expertise in dealing with hazardous materials, oil spills and other emergencies.

“They’re basically ready to tackle just about anything in the state of Washington, from earthquakes to just about anything,” Jolly said.

But authorities anticipate that the teams will be used mostly to fight wildfires. So far this year, teams have helped fight the Los Alamos fire in New Mexico, the Hanford fire in central Washington and a small forest fire on the Colville Indian Reservation.

The state also has agreements to share resources with Idaho, Oregon, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta.