Maryland Fire Crew Mobilized to Combat Wildfires Out West

Department Deploys First Crew of 2018 Season

Maryland has dispatched a 20-person fire crew to battle wildfires in the western United States. Maryland State (MDS) #1 mobilized July 6 at the Madonna Ranger Station in Harford County.

The unit will join five other crews from the mid-Atlantic at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, where they will receive their assignments.

MDS #1 consists of 17 representatives from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and three volunteers from local fire departments. The wildland fire crew includes eight firefighters from the Maryland Forest Service, six from the Maryland Park Service, two from the Wildlife and Heritage Service and one employee from Human Resource Service.

The National Interagency Fire Center is the nation’s support center for wildland firefighting. The Maryland Forest Service has participated in mobilizing wildland firefighters throughout the U.S. since 1974, as part of a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Other partners in this nationwide group include the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.