About a dozen Iowa firefighters are helping battle wildfires in other states — across the Rocky Mountains, on the West Coast, and in the Pacific Northwest. Ryan Harr, supervisor of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Fire Program, says they’ve dispatched Iowans to help extinguish dangerous flareups in California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming — and one crew just returned from fighting wildfires in South Dakota.
Iowa is also dispatching E-M-Ts and logistical planners to points west. Most of their assignments are for two weeks and Harr says it can be both grueling and rewarding.
While Iowa has gotten a reprieve from several years of drought with heavy rain in recent months, Harr says the western U-S has seen just the opposite. After a year or two of generally wet conditions, he says much of the region is drying out rapidly this summer.
Harr says the D-N-R will continue to support its federal partners by providing firefighters and support staff throughout the summer and early fall.
Every year, Harr says the DNR certifies about ten of its own staff and another 35 Iowans from partner agencies, volunteer fire departments, and other organizations to be available for national fire incident assignments.
