Oregon faces firefighter shortage as it looks toward wildfire season

This year's fire season could be a challenging one for crews in Oregon. They're dealing with a firefighter shortage and a delayed pay raise.

Sen. Ron Wyden visited Southern Oregon Tuesday to get an update on this year's fire season from state fire officials.

Wyden has been pressuring the Biden administration to speed up a promised pay increase for wildland firefighters. Congress approved $600 million last year to raise firefighter pay, but that’s been delayed by over a month.

Wyden said agencies have fewer firefighters to share with other states as they deal with an ongoing worker shortage.

“We are looking at a fire challenge where all of these western states are simultaneously gonna need very large numbers of firefighters," Wyden said.

During his meeting with state officials, Wyden said he learned the combination of drought conditions and late rainfall this year means there’s more fuel to burn. That could lead to more wildfires across the region.

— Roman Battaglia, Jefferson Public Radio