East Pierce wildland firefighters provide necessary resource

For firefighters at East Pierce Fire & Rescue, they fight fires ranging from urban structural fires to wildland fires or brush fires in their 152-square-mile district.

The team is one of four different special teams East Pierce has, said Assistant Chief Ed Goodlet.

“They’re called out typically six to 10 times per year,” Goodlet said.

The team is made up of anywhere from 20 to 25 East Pierce firefighters, and will often go to Eastern Washington to help combat major wildland fires. The Department of Natural Resources pays for the firefighters’ deployment.

Typically, wildland crew members use chainsaws to cut down trees and brush, and the ground is scraped to create a line the fire cannot cross. Often, the technique doesn’t work as fires can jump at any moment, forcing firefighters hold what they can and wait for the wind to subside or the weather to change.

“Helping fight fires on the East Side helps support our own team back home,” said team leader Kyle Bylin. “We utilize a lot of tactics we wouldn’t normally use at home, which if a large-scale incident broke out here, we would be better equipped.”

The major difference between fighting a structural fire — like at a home or business — compared to a wildland fire is that unlike a structural fire, where fire crews can establish a safe zone away from fuel, everything around a wildland firefighter is fuel. The team begins a rigorous training session before the summer wildland firefighting season begins.

In addition, the team members are also able to respond to assist in flood control, earthquake mitigation and many other types of natural disasters.

“The wildland firefighters provide a significant resource to the district,” Goodlet said.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 1:48 PM with the headline "East Pierce wildland firefighters provide necessary resource."