County firefighters deployed

Mason County Strike Team firefighters are back home for now after spending two weeks deployed at the Big Horn Fire in Klickitat County and the Retreat Fire in Yakima County.

"It's been two weeks and we come home tonight," West Mason Chief Matthew Welander said.

Welander spoke with the Journal from the Retreat Fire on Aug. 6 as the team was being demobilized.

Firefighters split their time between the two fires, spending about seven days at each fire, Welander said.

The Big Horn Fire is no longer active and the Retreat Fire is 70% contained, as of Aug. 13, according to inciweb.wildfire.gov, a government interagency website.

Central Mason Fire & EMS, West Mason Fire, North Mason Fire and Hoodsport Fire & EMS sent brush trucks and Fire District 13 sent a water tender along with firefighters, Central

Mason Fire & EMS Public Information Officer Norma Brock told the Journal.

The Mason County crew got the call for Big Horn, estimated at 51,562 acres, after the Washington State Patrol authorized mobilization of state firefighting resources.

Under the State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan, a fire chief can request additional resources if local and mutual aid help is or will be expended.

Klickitat County Fire District 2 Chief John Jensen asked for the deployments July 22, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office.

Mason County's Strike Team is part of the South Puget Sound Region, which also includes teams from King, Kitsap and Pierce counties, Central Mason Fire Assistant Chief Brandon Searles told the Journal.

Region teams take turns on a weekly rotation.

"It just happened to be Mason County's turn," Searles said about the Big Horn call.

Once the Mason County Strike Team gets orders, they have two hours to get on the road, he said.

This means firefighters have their bags packed during fire season and are quickly ready to go.

They head to the local fire station and grab the brush truck, according to Searles.

"If we go out as a county, then usually the trucks will all meet at one location," he said.

The team must commit to 14-day deployments, though the incident might end sooner. Then the firefighters may get to come home early or they may be reassigned to another fire, which is what happened to the Mason County team.

After two weeks, they have to come home "for at least a 48-hour rest period," Searles said.

"It gives them a chance to shower, wash their clothes ..." he said.

It also allows the apparatus to be inspected and cleaned.

At the fire, there are two "operational periods," Searles said, daytime shifts from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and nighttime shifts from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Welander, who was the team leader trainee, said his team worked the graveyard shift supporting fire operations and hotshot crews, who came in and strategically lit unburned fuel.

Working at night in the forest "is not good if you're afraid of bears," Welander said.

While he didn't come across the huge mammals this time, he did see "bunnies come back after the fire. I saw beautiful sunsets. I saw lots of flowers. Areas that had burned in the past. We saw lots of fire," Welander said.

The days are different at every fire, he said.

"Sometimes you go straight to the line. Sometimes you check in and go to camp first and you start in the morning," he said.

"Your day is getting up at 5 a.m., getting everything you need for the day. Brief at 6 a.m. Head out to the line with lunches, Gatorade, water, coolers of ice ...

"Work and sweat. At 9 o'clock at night you come back, you go to bed and you get up at 5 o'clock in the morning and you start the day over."

"We've deployed out more before August than I can remember," he said.

"There's a lot of the season left. People need to be careful."