With resources strained, Washington state welcomes volunteer equipment

Seventeen firefighters from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are providing assistance in five Western states where massive wildfires continue to burn.

The DNR now has 30 workers assigned to fires in California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, said Trent Marty, director of the agency’s forest protection bureau. They’ve joined incident management teams and are also assisting with public information responsibilities and heavy equipment operation.

The news release said seven of the 17 firefighters are from the Upper Peninsula and the rest are from lower Michigan.

The Michigan DNR still has enough firefighters to handle any wildfires that may occur within the state.

Natural Resources officials plan to organize training sessions for residents physically capable of volunteering in the effort to suppress fire.

Michigan is part of a national cooperative agreement, which means they send staff when needed and the favor is returned when we need help here.

The state is fully reimbursed of the cost of the support when members are sent on out-of-state assignments.

In July, Wisconsin DNR fire crews helped battle an 80-acre wildfire in Marquette County.