Cowlitz Professional Firefighters - IAFF Local 3828

“Wildland Fire Season Update from Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue:

The crew of Brush 25 has returned from their 2-week deployment. The first few days where at the Railroad Fire in Franklin County and then they spent 10 days in Stevens County at the Bradeen Hill fire.

Thanks to D/OJohnson, FF/PM Hieggelke, and FF/EMT New. They joined members from Cowlitz County Fire District #1 (Woodland), County Fire District 5 (Kalama), Cowlitz-Skamania Fire District 7 (Ariel), and Clark County Fire District 10 (Amboy) to be the Cowlitz County Wildland Task Force.

Great work folks!!

And this morning Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue sent two personnel and a paramedic unit to Okanogan County to assist at the Sinlahekin Fire. We wish Lt. Hodnot and FF/EMT Araujo Silveira safe travels.

Here in Cowlitz County, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue remains staffed and ready to respond to your emergencies and to support the residents in our District.“

- Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue

Mark your calendars, the Tap Takeover is about 1 month away! Join us at Explorer Brewing for beer, food, and raffles! $20 entry gets you a cup to keep and 2 beers! Bring your families and friends, kids are welcome until 5pm! Proceeds go towards Coats For Kids, to purchase coats for the elementary students of Kelso!

As you all can probably tell by now, Fire Season is upon us!

On Thursday the 23rd, Cowlitz Strike Team was requested for another Fire, about two days after returning from the Lyons Ferry Fire.

The crew, FF Morgan Hieggelke, FF Garrett Johnson, and FF Ethan New headed to the Railroad Fire in Beverly, Wa at 6:30 am on Thursday. The fire is about 5,700 acres with 0% containment.

Our condolences to the citizens of Beverly. We thank the surrounding areas for supporting all the firefighters that are working to control the fire. Thank you for feeding and giving the crews a place to rest their heads!

Stay safe out there!

Let us introduce Battalion Chief Matt Beaulaurier.

B/C Beaulaurier is not only a Battalion Chief but he also works as a Division Supervisor during Fire Season. He is part of the CIMT (complex incident management team) team 10.

Currently him and his team are assigned to the Hay Creek Complex in Eastern Oregon. Matt is in charge of the Porcupine Ridge Fire. The fire is currently at about 80,000+ acres with 11% containment. The fire started last week on July 15th. B/C Beaulaurier and his team got called to duty on July 17th.

Keep up the killer work and stay safe out there! 🔥

And just like that another crew is headed to the Lyons Ferry Fire! 🔥

“A medic unit was sent by Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue (C2FR) to the Lyons Ferry Fire in Franklin County, WA (just North of Kennewick, WA) late this afternoon. This crew of 2 will be available on the fire line as an emergency medical resource for crews fighting the fire, including the Strike team members from C2FR and other SW Washington firefighters who left earlier today. That fire has now grown to 3,000 acres over the last few hours. Fire officials in charge of the fire have ordered level 2 evacuations due to fire conditions and threats to homes and other buildings.

Pictured from left to right: Firefighter/EMT Tanner Pliler and Firefighter/Paramedic David Pervere“

- Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue

“Firefighters from Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, as part of a wildland strike team comprised of firefighters from SW Washington, are leaving to join suppression efforts in Franklin County, WA (approx. 40 minutes North of Kennewick, WA), which is currently listed at 300 acres. According to a report released by fire officials managing the fire, multiple firefighting aircraft are working in the area, including air attack, scoopers, and a helicopter. Multiple firefighters are also on the ground battling the fire. The strike team left this morning and will likely join suppression efforts once they arrive and have been briefed. The team is expected to be on assignment for a few days up to two weeks, depending on fire conditions and suppression progress.

Firefighters pictured (from left to right): Ethan New, Jordan Vazquez-Hunt, Kirk Huhta, and Garrett Johnson.

Fire Name: Lyons Ferry Fire
WA-261 near Milepost 17, Franklin County, WA”

- Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue

Join us in celebrating an incredible milestone as FF D/O Brad Yoder retires after 22 years of dedicated service! 🚒

Brad’s commitment, leadership, and selfless service have made a lasting impact on our department and the community. For more than two decades, he answered every call with professionalism, courage, and a sense of humor that kept us all on our toes.

As he retired on May 27, we thank him for the lives he’s touched, the friendships he’s built, and the legacy he leaves behind. And Brad, we have to say it—even with one eye, you never missed a thing, which made it nearly impossible for the rest of us to get away with anything!

Please join us in congratulating Brad and wishing him good health, happiness, and many new adventures in retirement. Thank you for 22 years of service—you’ve earned it! 👏

“Firefighters have been mobilized to staff a medic unit at the “Tumble Fire” in Oregon. Lieutenants Derek Daughtery (Paramedic) and Ryan Satcher (EMT) are at the Tumble Fire, currently over 20 acres in size in Hood River County (1.5 miles NE of OR-35. It is reported to be at 0 % contained. Daughtery and Satcher will be available to treat common and emergency injuries at the fire.

Stay safe, gents.”

Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄
𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝟒:𝟐𝟓 𝐩.𝐦.

𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 – 𝐍𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠

LONGVIEW, WASH - Emergency responders continue recovery and stabilization operations at Nippon Dynawave Packaging following Tuesday morning’s industrial incident involving the rupture of a tank containing white liquor at the facility located at 3401 Industrial Way.

Recovery efforts remain complex due to ongoing safety concerns at the site. While originally believed to contain approximately 80,000 gallons, officials now report the tank held approximately 900,000 gallons of white liquor. Longview Fire and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue estimate roughly 90,000 gallons of material may remain inside the damaged tank.

Currently, the tank remains unstable, creating hazardous conditions for emergency personnel. Responders are continuing efforts to structurally reinforce and stabilize the site before additional recovery operations can safely proceed.

These conditions continue to impact portions of the facility and limit access to some areas of the site. Officials state there is currently no direct threat to the surrounding community.

Recovery operations remain focused on safely accessing all affected areas of the facility, recovering victims, and supporting impacted families, while ensuring the safety of emergency responders working within unstable conditions.

Emergency responders have confirmed:
• 10 individuals were transported to area hospitals:
o 8 employee injuries
o 1 firefighter injury
o 1 fatality

Officials can also confirm there are 9 employees who remain unaccounted for. All identified families have now been notified.

Numerous local, regional, and state agencies continue coordinating response and recovery operations alongside facility personnel.

State officials are planning a visit to the site. The site will continue to be monitored overnight, but recovery efforts will not resume until tomorrow due to ongoing safety concerns.

This is the final scheduled public update for today. Additional verified information will be released as it becomes available.

Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.
Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue
Longview, Washington - City of Longview
Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office

The crew officially made it to Georgia yesterday! They drove about 3,000 miles in four days experiencing every type of weather. From sunshine to tornados!

They were assigned to the Pineland Road Fire (32,569.1 acres w/ 23% containment). The crew will be on day shift, working as a single resource until the rest of the strike teams arrives. Then they will transition into a full strike team working larger areas along side WA DNR.

More updates to come! Stay safe✌🏼