PHOTO COURTESY OF OREGON MILITARY DEPARTMENT
Oregon Army National Guard soldiers board buses on Wednesday to head out to a fire base in John Day.
The soldiers completed their firefighting training at the Department of Public Safety, Standards and Training (DPSST) in Salem on Wednesday. The first group of 125 Oregon citizen-soldiers began their training at DPSST on Aug. 22.
Another group of 250 soldiers and airmen from the 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland, the 173rd Fighter Wing in Klamath Falls, and the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team based at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, arrived at DPSST on Tuesday. The second group should complete their training there by Aug. 29.
The call up of Oregon Guardsmen came as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown activated the Oregon National Guard to assist with the ongoing firefighting efforts around the state.
The guardsmen are expected to tackle work at the south end of the Canyon Creek complex. Those fires near John Day moved northeast toward a residential area Wednesday afternoon, forcing a new round of evacuations.
