LAKE AND JOSEPH RESPONDERS ASSIST AT WALLOWA BLAZE

Joseph firefighters responded from the Joseph and Wallowa Lake fire stations Tuesday evening, July 30, to battle a fire in downtown Wallowa.

Answering a mutual-aid request from the Wallowa Fire Department, Joseph and Enterprise fire companies battled a fire at the Bon Ton Saloon, but the building was a total loss.

Except for some damage to the next-door Wheatland Insurance building, the massive response prevented the fire from spreading to adjoining structures.

This was the first structure-fire response for lake-based Engine 3 since it was moved to the lake in October 2012.

  

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RAPID RESPONSE EXTINGUISHES ROADSIDE GRASS FIRES

Joseph firefighters kept two small related roadside grass fires from spreading to a nearby pasture along Highway 82 in the early evening of Monday, July 29.

The blazes were snuffed out with a hose line from an engine and a water tender's side-aimed
nozzle.

Traffic on the highway, just south of Eggleson Lane, was slowed but not seriously delayed.

Altogether, Joseph Fire provided crews on two engines and two tenders.

Cause of the blazes is undetermined.

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SUDDENLY, A FLURRY OF ACTIVITY FOR JOSEPH FIREFIGHTERS

After many weeks with no calls, Joseph Fire and Rescue was dispatched twice on Thursday, July 25, for a hazardous-material spill and a fire in rural Enterprise.

In the afternoon, firefighters responded to a puddle of diesel fuel in a parking space on Main Street in front of the Joseph Post Office. The spill was contained and the fuel removed with absorbent material.

That evening, a mutual-aid request brought Joseph firefighters to Golf Course Road to assist Enterprise Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry in containing a hay barn fire. The barn and hay inside were lost and about an acre of grassland was scorched.

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JOSEPH AIRPORT PROVIDES BASE FOR FIREFIGHTING COPTERS

Joseph State Airport, usually populated only by small private planes, is host to several helicopters as wildland firefighters work to control the 530-acre Cuba fire and 16 small fires started by lightning during a thunderstorm July 16.

Along with their ground support crews, copters contracted by the U.S. Forest Service are based midway along the runway and are visible from the entrance to the Wallowa County landfill transfer station. The copters are used for reconnaissance, water drops and fire retardant drops.

The Cuba fire in rugged terrain of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is across the Snake River in Idaho, but just 30 miles from Joseph. It was reported to be 75 percent contained as of Saturday, July 20.

The Joseph airport frequently is used by firefighting aircraft during the summer fire season because of its proximity to fire-prone forested areas including the Wallowa-Whitman, Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.

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FIRE RESTRICTIONS TO GO INTO EFFECT THURSDAY, JULY 18, IN WALLOWA-WHITMAN NATIONAL FOREST

"Phase A" public-use restrictions on campfires, smoking, off-road travel and chain saw use will go into effect in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest on Thursday, July 18. The same restrictions will be in force in the Umatilla National Forest.

The restrictions are being implemented because of increased fire danger, hot and dry weather conditions and concern for public safety, according to Bret Ruby, fire staff officer in the Wallowa-Whitman.

The restrictions come as firefighters are working to contain a small wildland fire near Nebo Lookout in the Eagle Cap Wilderness about 15 miles south of Joseph. Lightning was the cause.

The restrictions involve the following:

Campfires are restricted to fire pits in areas cleared of flammable vegetation.

Smoking is limited to inside vehicles and buildings, developed recreation sites and cleared area.

Off-road/off-trail travel is prohibited, as is use of exploding targets.

Chain saw use is restricted to before 1 p.m. and after 8 p.m., with a one-hour watch for fire starts after shutdown.

The public’s cooperation and awareness of the increasing fire danger is essential to a safe fire season, Ruby said. 

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FIRE BOARD MEETS MONDAY, JULY 15

The district Board of Directors will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, July 15, at the Wallowa Lake Fire Station. It's a public meeting and the board welcomes citizen input. Here is the agenda:

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ODF REQUIRES BURN PERMITS

Burning permits are required now throughout the Wallowa Lake basin and the rest of Wallowa County.

The Oregon Department of Forestry declared the start of fire season July 1. For permit information, contact ODF's Wallowa Unit, 541-886-2881.

With the arrival of typical summer weather, ODF and the Wallowa Lake Rural Fire Protection District remind you to be aware of the most common wildfire causes: off-road driving and riding, campfires, smoking and fireworks.

For more on wildfire prevention, click here.

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EVEN 1,100 MILES AWAY, WE JOIN FIRE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE U.S. MOURNING THE LOSS OF THE 19 GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS IN ARIZONA

President Chuck Anderson of the Wallowa Lake Rural Fire Protection Distrtict issued this statement on Monday, July 1:

Those of us dedicated to fire protection know the dangers inherent in firefighting. Every time there's a call for service, firefighters realize there's a chance they won't return home, no matter how fit, well trained and well equipped they are.

Usually an emergency incident results in no or few injuries, but not on Sunday, June 30, in Arizona.

Wildland firefighters are trained to watch for danger, stay in communication, be aware of the weather and leave themselves an escape route. But even those precautions don't guarantee safety because a wildland fire can be unpredictable.

Even so, for 19 members of a 20-member elite unit of a fire department to lose their lives together – the depth of the loss is almost impossible to grasp. At Wallowa Lake and the neighboring City of Joseph, the loss of 19 firefighters would devastate us. In addition to the sorrow and pain, we'd be left with no one to respond to an emergency – no one.

We are 1,100 miles from Prescott, Arizona, where the Granite Mountain Hotshots lived and served. Yet the loss hits home. It's a reminder of the enormous commitment of our volunteer firefighters – our friends and neighbors who will show up whenever we need them.

We join with all those in the fire service across the U.S. who mourn and express our sincere condolences to the families of the bravest of the brave.

Whenever you see a firefighter, say thanks. He or she might show up at your house tomorrow.

This loss also is a reminder that a wildland fire is the biggest possible threat to the Wallowa Lake basin. Keep your weeds cut, abide by all fire restrictions and talk to anyone you see who is doing anything that could be dangerous.

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