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Orem Fire Department’s wildland crews describe deployments, revenue and plans to buy a purpose-built engine
Summary
Orem Fire Department officials said their wildland program has deployed nearly 365 firefighter‑deployments in the year, has generated reimbursements that pay overtime and is near a point of self-funding for purchase of a purpose-built wildland apparatus.
Members of the Orem Fire Department briefed the council on the department’s wildland firefighting program and recent out‑of‑state deployments.
Assistant Chief Sean Hurst and Wildland Captain Mike Hickman described the program’s growth since 2017 and said the city’s crews deploy under state and federal cooperative agreements. The department has responded to multiple large wildfires outside Orem, including prolonged multi‑agency incidents, and staff said those deployments have improved firefighter training and readiness for large local wildland‑urban interface incidents.
Hickman said the program now regularly participates in deployments across the Western United States and that the number of reimbursed deployments and grant receipts has produced revenue that covers overtime and backfill costs. Department leadership said the program aims to reach a funding milestone that would support purchase of a purpose‑built wildland engine without a direct budget appropriation.
The presenters highlighted that the work involves heavy equipment, aviation resources, dozers and sustained field operations and that the experience gained in large incidents makes the city’s small, frequent fires easier to manage. Council members praised the program for its field performance and community recognition.
No formal council action was taken; the briefing was informational.
