Delaware Forest Service Hand Crew Deploying to Minnesota to Support Wildland Fire

The Delaware Forest Service will deploy a 17-member wildland firefighting hand crew to support suppression efforts in northeastern Minnesota. The crew will depart Saturday, July 25th, at 6 a.m. from Blackbird State Forest and is scheduled for a 14-day mobilization under the national wildfire response system. This deployment is separate from the Delaware Forest Service Type 6 Engine E-613 and its three-person engine crew, which were mobilized earlier this week. While the engine crew is assigned to operate the brush truck, the hand crew will perform duties assigned by incident management upon arrival. Delaware firefighters are part of a nationwide network of trained wildland firefighters who respond to incidents across the country through mutual aid agreements, providing critical support during periods of heightened wildfire activity.