Army North concludes military wildland fire ground response operation in Boise and Payette National Forests

Photo By Christopher Grissett | U.S. Army Soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team and 7th Infantry Division, assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, deploy in support of the Department of Defense wildland firefighting response in Idaho from Aug. 17, 2024 through Sept. 17, 2024. U.S. Army North, as U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command remains committed to providing flexible DoD support to the National Interagency Fire Center to respond quickly and effectively to assist our local, state, and federal partners in protecting people, property, and public lands.  

TEXAS, UNITED STATES

09.18.2024

Courtesy Story

National Interagency Fire Center

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - At the request of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), and in support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, U.S. Army North (ARNORTH), U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command (JFLCC), concluded its wildland fire ground response operation in Boise and Payette National Forests.
Around 250 soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion and the 1-17th Infantry Battalion, part of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, I Corps, returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington on September 17. They had been assisting with the West Mountain Complex fires near Cascade, Idaho on a month-long mission that started on August 17.
“As guardians of our homeland, it is our honor and privilege to perform our duty and to support the National Interagency Fire Center agencies in suppressing the West Mountain Complex fires and the Middle Fork Complex fires and safeguarding affected communities,” said Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman, ARNORTH and JFLCC commanding general. “I’m incredibly proud of our Soldiers for quickly adapting to this challenging environment and unique mission, and for working seamlessly with our interagency partners to achieve exceptional results.”
Lightning ignited the West Mountain Complex fires on July 24, 2024, scorching more than 162,000 acres in the Boise and Payette National Forests. On August 5, 2024, lightning sparked the Middle Complex fires, which have burned over 61,000 acres in the Boise National Forest.+
Active-duty Soldiers supporting the West Mountain Complex fires worked collaboratively alongside partners from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, among other agencies. The Soldiers received high-quality training from seasoned wildland fire strike team leaders and crew bosses, earning their qualifications to work as a Type 2 Crew. The hand crews operated tirelessly from dawn to dusk, mopping up smoldering firelines and securing vulnerable public lands.
The JFLCC, through USNORTHCOM, is the primary Department of Defense organization for coordinating defense support of civil authorities to help federal partners, like NIFC, respond to natural or man-made disasters.
For additional information, contact the ARNORTH Public Affairs office at 210-428-9835 or [e-mail]; for photos and/or videos, visit our official website: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NIFC.

• Date Taken: 09.18.2024
• Date Posted: 09.30.2024 15:04
• Story ID: 482129
• Location: TEXAS, US