Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue briefs Yamhill County on wildfire deployments, EMS pilots and station rebuilds

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue officials told the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners on May 22 that 2024’s wildfire season and mutual‑aid deployments increased strain on statewide firefighting resources, and the district is testing several emergency‑medical initiatives while advancing planned station rebuilds.

The presentation was given by Brian Smith, division chief of government public affairs for Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, and Stefan Myers, public affairs manager for the district. Smith said the district’s local option levy, approved by voters last May, will fund 36 additional firefighter positions over five years and is intended to sustain operations for about 10 years.

Why it matters: TVF&R serves Newberg and surrounding rural areas in Yamhill County; commissioners and the public heard how the district is balancing wildfire response, rising medical call volume and long‑term capital needs.

Myers opened with a statewide context, saying he had more incident management deployments in 2024 than in prior years and that roughly 1,900,000 acres burned across Oregon last year. He said 88 task forces were mustered statewide and that agencies called on neighboring states for support as local resources were depleted.

“Within Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, we have…