鈥淢y state is on fire.鈥� Those are the words of Oregon鈥檚 Senate President Peter Courtney, as he joined other congressional representatives to ask for federal funding for wildfire suppression. Twenty six fires continue to burn around the state. Thousands of fire fighters are dispatched鈥攚orking in harsh conditions for weeks at a time. One of them is Sam Swetland. I鈥檝e known Sam a long time鈥攂ut not as long as he鈥檚 been fighting fires.
鈥淚n 1976, I took a summer job with the Forest Service.鈥�
In Fire Management, Swetland worked his way up from ground to engine crew to Air Operations. Extensive training and experience makes him one of a handful of people able to deal with all the moving parts of Air Attack.
Swetland: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e dealing with firefighters, fire behavior, tactics and strategies to suppress fires as well as supporting what they want on the ground with aircraft, retardant or helicopter bucket drops.鈥�
Most fire fighters retire at 57. But not this guy. Swetland turns 65 this year but each fire season, they call him back.
Swetland: 鈥淵eah. So 42 fire seasons ago now.鈥�
Swetland has travelled most of the country fighting fires. Over all these years, he鈥檚 managed to keep his home base 鈥攚ith his wife and kids鈥攐n the McKenzie River. The Horse Creek complex and other fires continue to threaten communities here.
Reporter: 鈥淗ere we are sitting in your kitchen up in beautiful Blue River. It is smoky outside. What is this like for you historically? Can you remember a time when it was this bad?鈥�
Swetland: 鈥淣ot here, not from wildfires. This is a big event. I鈥檝e been in a lot of other areas other places that it鈥檚 happened. I鈥檝e just never experienced it at home.鈥�
Reporter: 鈥淎re you concerned? You know a lot of the men and women out there working right now to fight these fires. How are you feeling?
Swetland: 鈥淥h, I鈥檓 good with the people that are out there. They are well trained, careful, taking care of each other. The fire conditions鈥攖hat鈥檚 another thing. I鈥檓 just thinking about people I know鈥攚e helped move some belongings of a friend --get him ready to evacuate if he needs to. It鈥檚 really got me thinking about the Level 1 evacuation. It鈥檚 something that could happen anywhere if you have woods around you鈥攖he conditions now are dry. A fire started accidentally or stupidly by somebody- that fire could be right next to you and you鈥檇 be from LEVEL 鈥渘ot thinking about it鈥� to Level 1,2, or 3 in a very short time.鈥�
Swetland is in air ops, but he has no illusions about how fires are ultimately extinguished.
Swetland: 鈥淔ire鈥檚 don鈥檛 go out without boots on the ground. That鈥檚 what they say-- Air craft don鈥檛 put it out, water doesn鈥檛 put it out鈥攋ust people swinging tools.鈥�
Reporter: 鈥淚 think that when it gets down to it the average person doesn鈥檛 understand鈥斺�榃ater doesn鈥檛 put it out? What do you mean?鈥欌��
Swetland: 鈥淥h water has to get to the right places. It has to cool the fuel down. You just pour it on top, stuff will be burning underneath it鈥檒l just come right back.鈥�
People often ask this veteran fire fighter how crews decide what to save and what to let burn. Swetland says if he鈥檚 on a larger fire or making decisions where a lot more people are involved-- then he will look strategically at what values are at risk.
VSwetland: 鈥淚t could be campgrounds, highways, natural resources, timber, salmon, owls, all of those things are considered values. Then we decide if the strategy is to go directly in and suppress it鈥攐r there鈥檚 parts of it that could burn without suppression without harming other values.鈥�
Reporter: 鈥淎s predictable as fire behavior might seem. It鈥檚 not always is it? We have lost fire fighters in unimaginable ways鈥攔ight? because of鈥攚hat?鈥�
Swetland: 鈥淓xtreme fire behavior is predictable and weather is predictable. The people that we have lost were making the best decision they could with the information they had. It鈥檚 easy to say somebody didn鈥檛 do this or that- that they should have done. But I wasn鈥檛 there so I can鈥檛 say that.鈥�
Reporter: 鈥淭he pressing question. Why do you keep doing this? You came back with the crud鈥︹��
鈥淥h, that鈥檚 upper respiratory illness,鈥� Swetland says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 dust and many hundreds of people in a fire camp. Oh, It鈥檚 a good job. It accomplishes good things. There鈥檚 not an abundance of people with air operations. So they call and ask (laugh.) I had a tee shirt once that said 鈥楾he voices in my head tell me to.鈥� That鈥檚 why I fight fire.鈥�
As would be expected鈥擲am Swetland is heading out on another assignment. They called and he answered. Again.
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