BOISE, Idaho — More than 250 active-duty military personnel from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will arrive Saturday, Aug. 17, at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise to help combat wildfires.
These troops have been called in to support ongoing fires that have been impacting the Boise and Payette National Forests. The deployment is expected to last for up to 30 days.
According to the NIFC “Since 1975, the US Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior have had an interagency agreement with the Department of Defense (DOD) which allows DOD to provide firefighting support to the wildland fire management agencies when needed.”
The Boise National Forest has closed various areas due to fires.
"We're grateful for the support from our military partners during this critical time. Their expertise and manpower are vital in ensuring that we can effectively contain and extinguish these fires to protect both lives and property," said a NIFC spokesperson.
