New York DEC Forest Rangers and Employees Return from Fighting Montana Wildfires
OutdoorHub 08.31.12
Crew Spent Two Weeks Battling Polson Montana Wildfires
The 20-person New York State wildland firefighting crew will begin to return home today after helping combat wildfires in Montana, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The crew includes four DEC Forest Rangers, 13 DEC employees and three DEC volunteers.
Several members of the crew will be available to talk to reporters today at 4:15 p.m. at Albany International Airport.
“I applaud the courage of DEC’s firefighting team that spent the past two weeks battling the raging forest fires in Montana,” said Commissioner Martens. “This work serves as a great example of how states can work together and share resources during times of adversity.”
The firefighters were dispatched through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. This agreement allows for the sharing and dispatching of firefighters throughout the country.
The crew departed from DEC’s Saratoga Fire Cache on August 16 to Polson, MT where the crew spent 14 days fighting fire on one or more wildfires. Upon arrival the crew was assigned to the 9,863-acre West Garceau Fire located in Polson, MT and later assigned to the 585-acre Elevation Mountain Fire in Greenough, MT.
All crew members are expected to land at Albany International Airport today, with the first arrivals scheduled for 4:15 pm. Media wishing to speak to crew members should proceed to the upstairs passenger welcome area.
