Minnesota is sending three 20-person fire crews to New Mexico along with 14 crew carrier trucks, including a number of local U.S. Forest Service and DNR fire personnel. Crewmembers met colleagues from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at the Duluth airport and flew to New Mexico on Thursday, June 16, 2011.
Crew members are inter-agency groups of trained wildfire fighters with members from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) – 21 crew members; the US Forest Service (USFS) – 20 crew members from the Chippewa and Superior national forests; Bureau of Indian Affairs and agencies – 16 crew members from Bois Forte, Grand Portage, Fond du Lac, and Leech Lake; the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) – one crew member, and Voyageur’s National Park – two crew members.
The crew will be assigned to firefighting duties in New Mexico, serving up to two weeks. They will be assigned to a specific fire when they arrive at the Albuquerque mobilization center.
The Minnesota Incident Command System (MNICS) is also supporting incidents in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas with over 200 total resources including aircraft, engines, and overhead personnel.
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