BEND, Ore. (AP) -- The state cut contracts with two private firefighting companies and has 10 other crews under investigation due to stepped-up scrutiny of training practices, Department of Forestry officials said.
Mountain Forestry Inc., based in Independence, lost 16 fire crews because it falsified training and identification records, said Don Moritz, the state's fire contract manager. That's more than 300 jobs.
A spokesman, Mike Cox, said Mountain Forestry's attorneys were working with the government to resolve the issue.
The state also yanked its contracts with Westwood Resources, which oversees two 20-person firefighting crews based in Klamath Falls, for failing to establish a proper dispatch base.
Information from: The Bulletin ``This investigation prevents inadequately trained firefighters from being put in harm's way,'' Moritz told The Bulletin in Bend.
The contract cancellations affect the remainder of the 2004 fire season, which started with 298 crews on the books.
According to Moritz, 269 crews of 20 people each remain available for this summer's wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest.
Ten crews based in central Oregon are under investigation because companies may have falsely declared access to dispatch and staging sites, he said.
Oregon has become the nation's epicenter for contract firefighting in the past decade, as government agencies have opted to hire outside firms for seasonal work.
It now registers more crews than any other state _ jumping from 106 crews in 2000, to 300 in 2003.
But the National Wildlife Suppression Association and others have been pushing for better training and certification, following the August 2003 crash that left eight Roseburg firefighters dead.
``What contractors want is what anybody in any industry wants: a fair and level playing field,'' said Debbie Miley, executive secretary for the Lyons-based group. It represents 246 companies nationwide - 75 percent of those in the Pacific Northwest.
Crews registered in Oregon can fight fires for several government entities in the Northwest.
First, firefighters must complete training in fire behavior, firefighting tools and techniques, and safety. Companies are required to maintain records and training logs for all their firefighters.
