Twenty-three Sweet Home seasonal firefighters were among more than 200 from around the state who camped out last week on the Sweet Home High School athletic field and spent five days in classrooms and in clear cuts, learning or reviewing their firefighting skills.

Friday, the students spent the morning in a clearcut on Green Mountain at the end of Ames Creek Road, practicing putting out fires set earlier in the day by instructors.

Crew members dug fire lines, laid hose and doused flames as instructors watched and gave tips.

“You can tell that we learned communication,” said Debbie Newman, a public information officer for the Bureau of Land Management office in Eugene, as crew members yelled “swinging” as they chopped roots and “bump up” as they dug lines around the fires.

Amos Parmenter, a newcomer to the Sweet Home crew this year, said they learned “basic fire behavior and weather conditions. Parmenter is one of 10 members of a new fuels reduction crew that will work out of Sweet Home this summer.

“A lot of things are common sense but they tell you a lot of things you never think about it,” he said. “There’s stuff they bring to your attention.”

Lena Tucker, Oregon Department of Forestry district forester for Sweet Home, said that the fire season, which starts today, July 1, in the ODF’s South Cascade District, which protects more than 1.1 million acres of private and public lands from wildfire within Linn and Lane counties.

The beginning of fire season means restrictions will be imposed on recreational and work activities in the forest. Industrial operations are required to have firefighting equipment on site. Since restrictions may vary, it is advisable to check with the nearest ODF office for rules specific to the local area.

Industrial Fire Precaution levels (IFPL) are part of ODF’s closure system that regulates industrial activity in the forests west of the Cascade Mountains. When fire season takes effect, the district will be at an IFPL 1, which imposes the fewest restrictions and generally requires a fire watch at industrial forest operation sites. IFPL details can be found at: www.oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/ifpl.shtml. You can also check the daily IFPL level by calling (541) 726-3555.

In eastern Linn County, regulated-use closures will be in effect within one-half mile of the Quartzville Road from Green Peter Dam to the U.S. Forest Service’s Willamette National Forest boundary. Under this closure, campfires are permitted only at designated locations and on sand or gravel bars that lie between the water and high water marks where there is no vegetation. Use of fireworks is prohibited in this corridor.

While some drought conditions may increase fire hazards in southeast Oregon and central Washington, she said the risk of fire in the Pacific Northwest as a whole looks about average.

“The big question is what’s going to happen when lightning strikes,” Tucker said.

She said an unusually active monsoon season is expected in the southwestern United States this summer.

“We kind of get what’s left over, which doesn’t include much moisture,” she said.

“Locally, we’ve been having mild weather in Sweet Home but things are starting to heat up and dry out. You can tell when people are starting to cut their hay.”

“As the 2009 fire season gets underway, I especially want to thank private landowners for their firefighting help last year,” Tucker said.

Private landowners together with ODF, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, and rural fire departments are a key component of Oregon’s complete and coordinated fire protection system, she said.

“As the 2009 fire season gets underway, I especially want to thank private landowners for their firefighting help last year,” South Cascade District Forester Lena Tucker said.

Private landowners together with ODF, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, and rural fire departments are a key component of Oregon’s complete and coordinated fire protection system, she said.

This year the Sweet Home district has added the 10-person hand crew to do fuels reduction work in the area, Tucker said, adding that the financing for those personnel came from the county Board of Commissioners and Title 3 funds.

Crew members on Friday included some who were returning for their third year and more.

Sara Brocard, who is majoring in forensic chemistry at Southern Oregon University, said her first two seasons have been “slow” but she’s still been able to earn approximately $5,000 per season, which she said has been helpful in paying her school bills.

“Mostly,” she said, “I like the job. I really like working outside.”

Seasonal firefighters this summer for the Sweet Home district are Craig Wilson, Carl Lemmer, Jerry Whaley, Brent Peterson, Clint Moran, Kyle Temple, Josh Marvin, Staci Grove, Adam Hummer, Greg Sipe, Sara Brocard, Tina O’Donnell and John Trefethen. The fuels reduction crew members are Randy Carlson, Russell Duerr, Sara Le Claire, Tim Dodge, Brent Smith, Amos Parmenter, Chris Kingsley, Andrew Hoffman, Bryan Warth and Matt Grimes.

Adam Hummer, also starting his third season with the Sweet Home crew, said he likes the unpredictability of firefighting.

“When you show up for work every day, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Hummer, who is hoping to finish his paramedic training at either Chemeketa or Lane Community College this year. “It’s always different and these are fun people to work with.”