Army to join Oregon firefighting effort

Troops get several days of specialized training

Smoke billows skyward as the Winter-Toolbox fire blows near Paisley, Oregon.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time this year, United States Army troops are to assist the U.S. Forest Service in fighting wildfires, going to eastern Oregon to battle out-of-control fires there, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.

About 300 soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas, arrived in Boise, Idaho, Monday to begin training as firefighters before heading out to face Monument fire in southeastern Oregon, said Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dan Stoneking.

Soldiers from the First through Fifth artillery regiments at Fort Riley will undergo three days of training that will include a day of classroom instruction and two days of hands-on training to learn how to fight this different kind of battle. (More on western blazes)

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After their training, the troops are expected to be bused to Oregon and be on the front lines by Thursday, Stoneking said.

Every year at the beginning of the wildfire season, a liaison from the U.S. military works with the U.S. Forest Service to be ready to respond in case Forest Service personnel and equipment get stretched too thin.

The Forest Service then formally asks the military for that assistance.

Stoneking said this is the first time this year that the U.S. Forest Service requested assistance from the military. Last year, the military was asked only once to assist the Forest Service in fighting wildfires in the West. (Full story)