In Our View: Ready When Heat Is On

It is an endeavor marked by danger and heroism, as we all too often are reminded. With Washington and Oregon ranking among the nation’s most heavily forested states, this region engages in an annual dance with wildfires. And the peril involved has been driven home repeatedly this summer.

The latest example was the death of Jesse Trader, 19, of Albany, Ore. He was killed Tuesday in Southwest Oregon when the water truck he was driving hit an embankment and rolled over.

Trader’s death brought to 29 the number of wilderness firefighters killed this year across the nation. Most of those — 19 — died June 30 in an Arizona wildfire, a tragedy that received national attention and included a 24-year-old native of West Linn, Ore., among the dead.

The 10-year national average of 16 wildfire-fighting deaths per year points out the extreme nature of this year’s toll, but also the inherent danger involved. As of late last week, more than 4,000 firefighters were engaged with wild blazes in Oregon; in Washington, eight fires classified as “major” were being fought. The National Interagency Fire Center has listed the Northwest as its highest priority, giving the region the first shot at crews and equipment at this time of year.

Methods for preventing man-made fires are well-known, thanks in part to a now-69-year-old advertising campaign by the U.S. Forest Service and mascot Smokey Bear. As one of the most recognized symbols in marketing, Smokey long has been trumpeting the mantra that “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.” Smokey’s tips are well-known, but they, um, er, bear repeating:

• Never leave a campfire unattended.

• Douse campfires with water until the coals are cold.

• Do not discard cigarettes or matches, especially from moving vehicles.

These tips are crucial at all times, but particularly in late summer, when grasses and trees have been dried into kindling.

Of course, while man-made fires exacerbate the situation, there is no prevention for lightning, the primary cause of wilderness blazes. Wildfires are going to be a fact of nature until humans figure out how to control the weather. Until then, such fires might seem to be a remote afterthought for city dwellers, yet they will continue to affect the entire state — in terms of air quality, long-term ecological impact and firefighting costs.

The Yacolt Burn of 1902, for example, resulted in 65 deaths and burned more than 500,000 acres of forest. According to newspaper reports at the time, more than one-half inch of ash was dropped on Portland as a result of the fire, and legislative steps were taken to try to prevent future conflagrations from growing to such an extent.

Despite those efforts, from 1933-51, a series of fires known collectively as the Tillamook Burn torched a swath of land from Portland to the Oregon Coast.

Firefighting techniques have evolved since then, typically reducing the impact of blazes. On the other hand, an increase in population and the encroachment of people and structures into remote areas have, in many ways, increased the danger of wildfires.

Because of that, we can be thankful for the handful of people who run toward trouble when it strikes, bringing their training and moxie into highly volatile areas to protect people they’ve never met.

And we can mourn their losses when tragedy strikes.