Astoria, OR – Oregon’s firefighting strike teams, deployed to Southern California in early January, are approaching the end of their 14-day mission to battle the destructive Palisades Fire. While the official return date remains uncertain, team members anticipate heading home soon, although there remains the possibility of an extension if the need arises.
Among the teams deployed was Joe Van Veldhuizen, a 20-year veteran firefighter with the Corvallis Fire Department. Van Veldhuizen and his crew of four arrived in Southern California on January 10, tasked with helping to contain the rapidly spreading Palisades Fire. “What I know is that they can keep us a total of 14 days once we arrived at the fire. We are getting toward the end of that. It is possible to extend our time if they need us,” said Van Veldhuizen. “Our anticipation, right this instant, is that we’ll be coming home soon, but we just really don’t know for sure.”
Over the past two weeks, Van Veldhuizen and his team have been stationed across various locations in Southern California, from Encino to the Malibu and Santa Monica areas. Despite the intensity of the work, morale among the team has remained high. Van Veldhuizen shared, “We’re learning a lot about each other, of course. But for the most part, we’re doing really good. We’re ready to see our families, of course.”
Having previously responded to the devastating 2017 Santa Rosa fires in California, Van Veldhuizen was still struck by the sheer scale of destruction caused by the Palisades Fire. “I’ve seen some of the devastation—house to house to house being destroyed and more or less ash. And so I’ve experienced it. Some of the people that I’m with haven’t,” he said, reflecting on the overwhelming nature of the fire’s aftermath. “It’s quite a sight if you’ve never seen it before, and it’s pretty overwhelming just as firefighters trying to understand what your compadres went through that night.”
The challenges of navigating through the heavily impacted Palisades area have not been insignificant. With much of the area reduced to rubble, Van Veldhuizen noted the difficulty in local navigation, especially when responding to emergency situations. “For us on our engine specifically, we haven’t had to do a lot of what they call structure preparation. But challenges for us have just been the local navigation, getting around, figuring out where to go and how to get there if something were to happen that was an emergency situation,” he said.
While deployed, Oregon’s strike teams could be reassigned to other fires as needed. However, with the advent of technology, including real-time apps, firefighters are often aware of emerging situations quickly. “As we’re assigned to California, we can be assigned to go anywhere, of course. You understand that when you come down to do these things. And with some of the apps that are out there and the technology that’s out there, it’s pretty instantaneous when you see these things pop up,” Van Veldhuizen explained.
Despite the difficult circumstances, the support from the local Southern California community has been deeply appreciated by the Oregon firefighters. “The community has, for us, been very appreciative. ‘Hey, what do you guys need? You need anything? We’ll help you out.’ It’s just been kind of almost the antithesis of what you expected. You were going to be the person that was going to help them, and they’re more than willing, able, and ready to help you with any needs that you might have,” Van Veldhuizen shared. “They understand that we’re away from our families as well, and they’re trying to make it as comfortable for us as possible under the circumstances.”
This deployment has not only been a unique experience for Van Veldhuizen and his crew but also an invaluable professional opportunity. “This is an unusual event for sure. A lot of these guys won’t be able to do this more than once in their career, right? And so just understanding that these things happen. And if you happen to go on something like this again, you’ve played the what-if game, and you have the ability to pass that on to that next generation as well,” Van Veldhuizen said.
As they near the conclusion of their mission, Van Veldhuizen shared some advice for Oregonians regarding wildfire preparedness: “Creating a defensible space, making sure that you don’t have a bunch of bushes and things up against your house that can ignite. Keeping the garbage picked up, keeping lawn equipment, lawn chairs, and those kinds of things away from your house if this event would happen in your area. And have a plan.”
As Oregon’s firefighting teams wrap up their deployment, the dedication and professionalism displayed in their efforts serve as a reminder of the resilience required in the face of natural disasters. The experience will undoubtedly contribute to their continued growth as they return to their communities, ready to face the next challenge.
