PORTLAND, Ore. — Two firefighters from Knox County are in Oregon to help battle the wildfires that have run rampant in the west coast, according to the Rural Metro Fire Department.
Firefighter/EMT Jeremiah McLeod and Captain/Paramedic Brad Rettig set out for Oregon on a two-week deployment this past Monday.
Rettig said that because of all the smoke conditions, even getting to Oregon was a challenge. Several flights had to be canceled before the two ended up driving to Oregon. Rettig said he was shocked at the view when they arrived.
"The smoke conditions that day in Portland were unbelievable," Rettig said. "It looked like something out of this world to see an airport... just engulfed by all that smoke that was there."
McLeod and Rettig are part of the structural protection unit, which means they are responsible for putting out any spot fires before they go near a residence or structure. The two are responsible for protecting 20 homes.
The firefighters said that while they're under a 14-day deployment, that could be extended if conditions don't get better.
However, McLeod said that progress has been positive so far and everything is moving in the right direction.
"We're please with what we're seeing in our area," McLeod said. "We've not lost any structures... we're seeing improvement here."
Even though the job is dangerous and exhausting, Rettig believes he'll be able to come back home with valuable lessons.
"We're more than happy to train with other fire departments and bring those lessons learned back to East Tennessee," Rettig said.