SPOKANE, Wash. — First-person videos posted by Spokane County Fire District 8 Firefighters Local 3711 show line medics working alongside strike teams and treating firefighters in hard-to-reach areas of Washington’s wildfires.
The video documents the conditions EMS providers face while providing care miles from hospitals and traditional ambulance access.
Line medics move with Kaiser Canyon Fire strike teams
One video recorded July 23 shows flames burning across a mountainside as Spokane County Fire District 8 line medics travel with strike teams working along Kartar Road.
The union said crews were trying to hold back the Kaiser Canyon Fire as its behavior remained active and unpredictable.
A second video posted July 26 shows fire conditions and describes line paramedics treating firefighters across several remote areas of the fire.
Downed trees, changing fire behavior and limited access to medical care were complicating the response, according to Local 3711.
“Your firefighter paramedics are there to provide high quality care for everyone,” the union stated.
In another post, the union said a Spokane County Fire District 8 line paramedic treated a firefighter who suffered a medical emergency on the Kaiser Canyon Fire, then continued providing care during a more than hour-long ground transport to Coulee City, where an Airlift Northwest helicopter was waiting.
Another video shows a helicopter arriving as line medics assist firefighters protecting homes and other structures.
The medics work alongside fire crews and provide care for both firefighters and members of the public, the union stated.
Kaiser Canyon Fire burns more than 134,000 acres
The Kaiser Canyon Fire began July 16 south of Nespelem on the Colville Reservation. The lightning-started fire had burned more than 134,000 acres by Aug. 2, according to KREM.
Level 3 evacuation orders remained in place for some areas, and federal funding had been authorized to help cover firefighting costs.
Statewide emergency
The videos were recorded during operations at the Kaiser Canyon Fire, but they come as Washington crews continue responding to multiple large wildfires across the state.
Near Spokane, the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires ignited Aug. 1 and quickly spread through residential areas, prompting evacuations and destroying hundreds of homes, businesses and other structures.
As conditions worsened, Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency, activated 100 Washington National Guard members to support the response and imposed a statewide burn ban, according to KOMO News.
AMR Spokane deploys wildland medical teams
Spokane County Fire District 8 medics are not the only EMS providers working in wildfire zones across the Inland Northwest.
AMR Spokane has deployed a specialized team of paramedics and EMTs to provide medical care for firefighters working in remote areas, KREM reported.
As of July 29, members of the AMR Spokane Wildland Medical Team were assigned to the Akawa Butte Fire near Sisters, Oregon; the Castle Fire in Oregon; and the Pearl Hill and Modrite fires in Washington.
The paramedics and EMTs may treat heat-related illnesses, smoke inhalation and traumatic injuries sustained on the fire line.
“When firefighters are working long hours on the fire line, miles from the nearest hospital, they may need medical care, too,” AMR Spokane Operations Manager Jack Busch told KREM.
The clinicians deploy with line packs and collapsible Stokes litters that can be carried into areas ambulances cannot reach. They can remain with firefighters at remote base camps for days or weeks while monitoring crew members and providing on-site care.
The team deployed throughout southern Washington and northern Oregon in 2025, including assignments at the Crown Creek, Lower Sugarloaf and Lynx Mountain fires. Members also assisted with evacuations during Spokane’s Upriver Fire in July.
