As fire activity increases in the western United States, firefighters from Voyageurs National Park and around the country are helping the wildland firefighting effort.
According to Kurt Fogelberg, VNP active fire management officer, Jon McDonald and Bill Alleman, both park firefighters, have been out west helping with fire relief efforts.
“We’ve been doing it for years along with the other agencies,” Fogelberg said. “It is a mixed-agency crew.”
The Minnesota Incident Command System, or MNICS, are interagency groups of trained wildland firefighters. Members are from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, Superior and Chippewa National forests, Voyageurs National Park and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Minnesota Agency, Grand Portage, and Fond du Lac.
Fogelberg said Alleman has been in Washington for about a week and McDonald left for Idaho Saturday.
Minnesota is supporting firefighting efforts with personnel and equipment in California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.
MNICS sent two additional 20-person initial attack wildland firefighting crews to Boise, Idaho this week. The crews are at the Boise Staging Area waiting for an assignment to a fire per the National Interagency Fire Center.
The crews will be on assignment for 14 days, Fogelberg said, not including travel days.
