BISHOP, Calif. (July 16, 2021) — Delaware’s three-person Type 6 engine crew is now fighting the 2,000-acre Dexter Fire in the Inyo National Forest of southern California. Reported on July 12, the lightning-caused blaze is actively burning in brush and timber with only 13 percent containment. A total of 308 personnel are currently working under the command of a Type 2 incident management team (IMT) and the Dexter Fire has forced the evacuation of Big Springs and Bald Mountain Springs Campgrounds as well as the closure of area roads and highways.

Leading the crew is the Delaware Forest Service’s southern regional forester and engine boss Erich Burkentine of Milton, along with engine boss trainee Nikki Testa of Newark, and firefighter Hunter Melson of Milford. The crew mobilized on July 13 and is scheduled for a 21-day assignment, replacing a crew composed of Sam Topper, Adam Keever, and Bradley Melson that completed a 14-day tour of duty that took them from Colorado to California. Delaware’s crew is facing high temperatures, low relative humidity, and gusty afternoon winds on the Dexter Fire as they are conducting initial attack, digging fire line, and felling trees.

An increasing number of large wildfires in the western United States—combined with a prolonged heat wave and persistent drought—led the National Interagency Fire Center to increase its National Preparedness Level to the maximum level of “5” on July 14. Currently, 70 active large fires have consumed 1,061,516 acres across the United States. More than 17,700 wildland firefighters and support personnel and 32 Type 1 and Type 2 incident management teams are assigned to wildfires. So far in 2021, a total of 34,596 fires have burned 2.36 million acres—an increase from the same time in 2020, when 28,423 fires had burned 1.78 million acres.

More photos at the Delaware Forest Service Facebook Page

Contact:

Kyle Hoyd, Delaware Forest Service
Email: kyle.hoyd@delaware.gov
302-698-4548

After two weeks of battling wildfires in the rugged terrain of Idaho,  a Delaware wildfire crew is returning to Blackbird State Forest (502 Blackbird Forest Road, Smyrna, 19977) on September 11 at approximately 8 a.m.

The team was dispatched by the Delaware Forest Service on August 25 at a time when the National Fire Preparedness Level was 4 on a 5-point scale. Over the past 14 days, the team first tackled the 52,972-acre Henry’s Creek Fire, located seven miles east of Idaho Falls.  Thanks to the efforts of Delaware’s crew and other firefighters, the Henry’s Creek Fire reached 100% containment on September 1, 2016. From there, the crew battled the 1260-acre Grape Creek Fire, located six miles southwest of Elba, Idaho. The lightning-caused blaze started on September 1 and was situated in the steep 8500-foot terrain of the Sawtooth National Forest. When the weather permitted, the crew took a helicopter up to the fireline each day.

This is the second crew that Delaware has sent out this summer. The Delaware Forest Service dispatched firefighters to Colorado on July 25. They battled the 492-acre Milk Fire near Craig, Colorado and the 1,287-acre Tokewanna Fire near Mountain View, Wyoming. They finished up on the 12,276-acre Whit Fire, east of Yellowstone National Park near Cody, Wyoming.

Contact: Kyle Hoyd, Delaware Forest Service, (302) 698-4548 (office), (302) 943-7869 (cell) or kyle.hoyd@delaware.gov.

SMYRNA, Del. (July 25, 2016) – The Delaware Forest Service is sending a team of 20 wildland firefighters to the Rocky Mountain region for a scheduled two-week assignment to battle wildfires for the National Interagency Fire Center. The crew departed Blackbird State Forest this morning and is headed to Denver, Colorado to be “pre-positioned” for a specific assignment. On July 25, the NIFC’s National Preparedness Level was increased to 3 on a 5-point scale, a reflection of increased fire activity nationwide as well as hot and dry weather conditions across most of the West. Currently, 26 large fires have burned more than 232,000 acres in 12 states. Four new large fires were reported yesterday in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida and Wyoming.

Preparedness Level 3 means that “two (2) or more Geographic Areas are experiencing wildland or prescribed fire activities requiring a major commitment of National Resources. Additional resources are being ordered and mobilized through NICC. Type 1 and 2 Incident Management Teams are committed in two (2) or more Geographic Areas and crew commitment nationally is at 50%.” Currently, the Great Basin Area is at a “4”, the Rocky Mountain Area is at “3”, and Southern California is at “3”. The Rocky Mountain Area reported 20 new fires, two new large incidents, and five uncontained large fires. It currently has one Type 1 incident management team in place along with two Type 2 incident teams. Type 1 is the team that handles the most complex and challenging types of wildfires, including those that pose the greatest threat to lives and property.

Delaware has been dispatching a crew almost every year since 1998.  Last year, Delaware sent a team to battle the 36,500-acre Fork Complex Fire in northern California. Firefighters are a mix of public agency employees, recruits from volunteer fire companies, and private citizens with a keen interest in fighting wildfires. This year, four are from the Delaware Forest Service, two from DNREC Division of State Parks, one from U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Prime Hook Wildlife Area, and one from New Castle County. Six crew members are “rookies” – i.e., marking their first assignment on a wildfire crew.

Firefighters must prepare both mentally and physically for the annual fire season and achieve certification by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.  In addition to annual training courses held in the spring, crew must complete a rigorous work-capacity test by carrying 45-pounds over a three-mile course in less than 45 minutes. Although compensated by federal funds, all members volunteer for what could become a perilous mission.  Crews also helped hurricane relief efforts for the FEMA when Hurricane Irene swept through New England.

Contact: Kyle Hoyd, Delaware Forest Service, kyle.hoyd@delaware.gov or 302-698-4548.

Delaware Wildland Fire Crew Members and Hometowns

Link to crew departure on Delaware Forest Service Facebook photo album

In response to increased wildfire activity in the western United States, the Delaware Forest Service (DFS) dispatched a crew of volunteer wildland firefighters from Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna on Saturday, July 19 that traveled to Redmond, Oregon. The team is getting in position to fight a wildfire in that region and should receive its assignment in the next 24 hours. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho recently upped its National Fire Preparedness Level to 3 on a 5-point scale. However in the Northwest, the regional level is currently at the maximum 5 on a 5-point scale due to the incidence of 17 new fires and 24 large uncontained blazes.

Delaware’s crew is a mixture of veterans and newcomers from public agencies, volunteer fire companies, as well as private citizens who have completed the rigorous training and are interested in wildland firefighting. Five members of the crew are making their first trip on this assignment. The crew is being led by veteran Samual Topper of the Delaware Forest Service, a regional forester based at Redden State Forest in Georgetown.

Crew members must all hold “red-card” certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), have passed a core set of wildfire training courses at the Delaware State Fire School in Dover, completed “live-burn” fire training at the DFS’ annual “Fire Camp,” and completed the demands of the work capacity or “pack test,” which involves carrying a 45-pound pack over a three-mile course in less than 45 minutes.

Delaware Crew Members

Name, Hometown and Affililiations
Samual Topper, Federalsburg, MD – Delaware Forest Service
Monica Testa, Newark  – EMT, Volunteer Firefighter
Nathaniel Sommers, Smyrna
Jeff Wilson, Clayton  – New Castle Co. Forestry
Bart Wilson, Dover  – Center for Inland Bays
Alexander Pratt, W. Conshohocken, PA
Andrew Plotts*, Claymont  – Claymont Fire Co.
Louis Sarko*, Rehoboth Beach
Matt Dotterer, Milton  – Milton Volunteer Fire Dept.
Thomas Morgan*, Claymont  – Claymont Fire Co.
Tyaire Ferrell*, Wilmington  – Holloway Terrace Fire Co.
Jenifer DeCarlo, Felton  – Felton Fire Co.
Scott Veasey, Millsboro  – Millsboro Fire Co.
Tyler Torres, Smyrna  – Citizens Hose Co. of Smyrna
Adam Keever, Newark  – DNREC Parks & Recreation
Doug Rawling, Newark – DNREC Parks & Recreation
Amber Havrilla, Felton  – Felton Fire Co.
Alexander Jenks*, Rehoboth Beach

* First assignment with Delaware crew

Additional Crew (not pictured)
Matt Scheetz FALB unknown
David Scamardella FFT2 unknown

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More information, contact John Petersen – john.petersen@delaware.gov

Status Update from Payette National Forest

With the National Fire Preparedness Level hitting the maximum of 5 on a 5-point scale for the first time since 2008, a crew of 19 wildland firefighters trained by the Delaware Forest Service are on the front lines of a fire in Idaho’s Payette National Forest. U.S. Forest Service officials say the Delaware crew is now assigned to the Howard Fire, a small blaze ignited by lighting in the rugged terrain east of Riggins, Idaho and south of the Salmon River.

Information on Howard Fire

The Howard Fire is located 8 miles east of Riggins, Idaho on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land under protection of the Payette National Forest and is being managed by the Payette National Forest. It was started by lightning on August 18. The fire is currently around 200 acres but expected to grow – characterized by multiple tree torching and active surface fire spread.. Fire crews and aerial resources are focused on the north flank of the fire to provide a containment line to prevent further fire spread into Elk Horn Creek. Total personnel on the fire: 125.

 Trail closures will be in effect for Broken Leg Trail and Lava Butte Trail – both are motorized ATV trails.

 Current weather at the fire: wind –  10 mph SW; temperature – 92 degrees; humidity – 18%

Payette National Forest, U.S. Forest Service
800 West Lakeside Ave.
McCall, ID 83638

Incident Contact: Brian Harris
Phone: 208-634-6945

Contact: John Petersen, DFS Community Relations Officer
john.petersen@delaware.gov
302-698-4552 (office) 302-233-8180 (cell)