Stafford Township Volunteer Fire Company #1 announced the deployment of Lieutenant Oakley Spisak with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service to Boise, Idaho. Lieutenant Spisak is part of a 20-person Type 2 Initial Attack Hand Crew that left earlier today for wildfire duty in Boise.
The deployment is part of ongoing efforts by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service to support states dealing with severe wildfires. Just last month, the service sent three fire engines to California to assist in suppressing fires in the Angeles National Forest, Los Padres National Forest, and Sequoia National Forest.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has a long history of offering assistance to other states, having supported wildfire operations in numerous states across the country for over 35 years. The states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
Officials assure that these out-of-state missions do not affect the service’s capacity to manage wildfires within New Jersey. The community wishes Lieutenant Spisak and his crew a safe stay and return from their firefighting duties in Idaho.