21 New York wildland firefighters, including three from Steuben County, have returned to the Empire State after two-week assignments in Montana and Oregon. A 20-person crew that included Lawrence Day, of Hammondsport, Jonanthan Cleveland, of Corning, and Eric Egger, of Hornell, assisted with firefighting efforts at the Grouse Fire in Montana. An additional Forest Ranger was assigned with the Eastern Area Incident Management Team to assist firefighting efforts at the Red Fire in Oregon.
The Grouse Fire burned more than 3,000 acres on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest since it started on July 25. The New York State crew joined forces with more than 200 firefighters from across the country. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Ranger, Robert Praczkajlo, served as the crew boss during the two-week assignment with seven additional Rangers, 11 of DEC’s expertly trained wildland firefighters from the divisions of Lands and Forests and Fish and Wildlife, and a DEC Fire Warden. These responders focused on holding the control line, patrolling for hot spots, and looking for potential threats to buildings.
New York State Forest Ranger Michael Burkholder served as a Facilities Unit Leader at the Red Fire, which burned nearly 500 acres on the Deschutes National Forest since it started on July 17 after a lightning strike. Ranger Burkholder conducted facility inspections and supported a large camp for more than 250 firefighters and support staff.
Returning Crew:
Michael Burkholder – Facilities Unit Leader – Forest Ranger, Norwich
Robert Praczkajlo – Crew Boss – Forest Ranger, Saranac Lake
James Canevari – Lands and Forests, Hermon
Gregory Cerne – Fish and Wildlife, New Paltz
Joshua Choquette – Fish and Wildlife, Bovina Center
Jonathan Cleveland – Lands and Forests, Corning
Lawrence Day – Fire Warden, Hammondsport
Eric Egger – Lands and Forests, Hornell
Aaron Graves – Lands and Forests, Potsdam
Lincoln Hanno – Forest Ranger, Croghan
Scott Hicks – Forest Ranger, Ronkonkoma
Steven Jackson – Forest Ranger, Johnsonville
Eric Kasza – Lands and Forests, Cherry Valley
Kramer Kwaczala – Lands and Forests, Albany
Chester Lunt – Forest Ranger, Fabius
Jamison Martin – Forest Ranger, North Hudson
Peter Morehouse – Forest Ranger, Chestertown
Micheal Putnam – Fish and Wildlife, Syracuse
Logan Quinn – Forest Ranger, North Hudson
Daniel Welc – Lands and Forests, Sherburne
Timothy Yeatts – Lands and Forests, Accord
Three additional DEC wildland firefighters were deployed to Montana this week and others are expected to be deployed out west in the coming weeks to support ongoing fire suppression efforts. In 1979, New York sent its first firefighting crew to assist western states with large wildfires. On average, one or two crews are deployed as needed to assist with wildfires every year. In addition to helping contain wildfires and minimize damage, these crews gain valuable experience that is utilized fighting wildfires and managing all-risk incidents in New York. All personnel and travel expenses for the New York crews are either paid directly by the U.S. Forest Service or reimbursed to New York State based on a mutual aid agreement between states and federal land agencies.
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