The forest fires in Washington continue to burn, drawing international aid from firefighters and volunteers, including from the San Juan Islands. Six firefighters from San Juan Island, one from Orcas Island and five local Red Cross volunteers have joined the effort to contain the fires and help affected residents.

Red Cross volunteer Allan Smith, 64, from Friday Harbor began Aug. 30 to assist the Colville Shelter, where he said he is helping people affected by the fires by listening to their stories, supplying food, maintaining shelter supplies, administration and looking after pets.

“There is really no normal day, one always carries one’s gear because you seldom end up where you started,” Smith wrote in an email to the Journal. “As the fire behavior changes, one’s day gets re-ordered, even hour to hour. Red Cross days here are officially 12 hours but in reality we work till the work is done.”

State of emergency

Gov. Jay Inslee declared a State of Emergency on June 26 and requested a federal Emergency Declaration Aug. 19 for 11 Washington counties, but resources and people have still been strapped due to the sheer magnitude of the fires.

Capt. Noel Monin, 41, of San Juan Island Fire Rescue assisted in fire fighting efforts from Aug. 12-28, first at Renner Canyon, and then the Stick Pin fire which was renamed the Kettle Complex as multiple fires merged together.

“We were strained for resources and personnel on all levels,” Monin said. “From top position to bottom positions. It required a lot of flexibility and collaboration with the resources that were there to go above and beyond what was expected.”

This was Monin’s first large scale assignment as a Task Force Leader, which he said is a person who works with the division leader to come up with solutions, and then find a way to implement them.

“I would say that fire is the most taxing I’ve ever been on,” Monin said. “It was very demanding and required a lot more effort than usual.”

Lt. Tad Lean, 47, of San Juan Fire Rescue said that they would ask for more personnel or resources, but were never guaranteed to get them. Lean was also at the Kettle Complex, from Aug. 14-28.

“We were so strapped we just had to do with what we had,” Lean said.

His daily schedule started by waking up at 4:45 a.m., having breakfast, heading to the daily briefing, and then going out to the fire line around 7 a.m., working on the fires until around 7 p.m. and then returning to camp.

When working out on the line, Lean said the temperatures were high 70s to low 80s, and the smoke and ash hung like a heavy fog. When the crew made their daily excursion to the line from their base camp in Curlew, columns of smoke rose up around them.

“We’re firefighters, it’s what we do,” Lean said. “I mean for some strange reason firefighters like fire, we’re crazy. Everyone runs away from a burning building and we run towards it.”

Tragedy hits

Lean and Monin were both in the field when three firefighters were killed near Twisp Aug. 19, and a fourth was taken to Harborview Medical for severe burns.

“The fire service is a big family, so even if you don’t know the people directly, you know people who know them,” Monin said. “Even in the case that it’s a remote incident, in another state or whatever else, it’s still a big impact because everyone in that industry knows what the job is, understands the risk involved, and it could be anybody. Yeah it really, definitely, that day that we heard about it, it was not a good day.”

Smith said that the firefighter’s deaths affected the area that he is working in as well, and he’s seen a number of hand-made signs thanking the firefighters.

“There is gratitude for the work of saving property and sorrow for the loss of the three young fire fighters,” Smith wrote.

Though the work was demanding, Monin said there was also difficulty in leaving the fires.

“We want to stay until the job is complete, and a lot of times you don’t get to do that,” Monin said. “All that work that we do, you don’t get to see if it works, did the line hold? Did what we planned and implemented, did it work? Or was it a problem? There’s a lot of unknowns when you leave a fire.”

Open hearts

There are 11 large-scale fires in Washington burning 904,300 acres as of Sept. 4, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, which gives daily updates. Nationwide from the beginning of the year, fires have burned over 8,995,000 acres, more than any year in the past 10 years.

The Kettle Complex that Lean and Monin worked on currently has 914 personnel working on it, and is at 76,540 acres. The wet weather and cooler temperatures from the past week have helped efforts to a degree, though weather can be unpredictable.

Monin and Lean said that locals can help by volunteering locally for San Juan Fire and Rescue, because more hands here means they can send more professionals out into the field to help. Monin also wanted to thank the communities and community leaders for assisting the firefighters with supplies and resources.

Maria Small, 68, of Friday Harbor who volunteers with the Red Cross was stationed in Wenatchee, and responded that she, too, saw an out pour of support.

“In crisis situations people open their hearts,” Small said.

Small said the most touching story she heard was an elderly woman and her daughter who made a thousand peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and then took them to a local food bank volunteer, who had a brother fire fighting on the line. The volunteer hand delivered the sandwiches to the workers.

“There were many situations involving these kind hearted folks who wanted to help,” Small said, adding that people donated clothing, food and water to the shelters.

To get more information on volunteering with the local firefighters, visit sjifire.org.