Profile: Jordan Pollack
Jordan Pollack, a veteran wildland firefighter, discusses the increasing trend of wildfires and his own personal connection to the issue.
Story by Olivia Klein
December 11, 2020
Jordan Pollack had an interest in firefighting starting from a very young age, recalling the excitement of sirens and the big red trucks whenever they passed by. Though for him, this feeling never truly left.
Pollack began his firefighting career in the 1970s, working first at the college campus fire station at Evergreen State College in Olympia. “Imagine college kids who are getting credit, living in the firehouse full-time and getting some meals for working shifts,” Pollock said. He compared the unique culture to the type of camaraderie of a sports team or a summer camp, though decidedly intense in a different way.
As he approached senior graduation, he wondered about the future, considering other jobs, before realizing: “Wait a minute, I’m doing what I want to do!” Pollack said.
He continued on with the industry from graduation to the present, starting his first job with the US Forest Service in the Olympic National Forest, serving at many different capacities, from hand crews and engines to helicopters during the summer fire seasons. He joined the fire service in 1980, moving up the ranks until he became a fire chief in 1998, a position he holds to this day in the Breitenbush Fire Department in the mountains of central Oregon.
These many years of experience have allowed Pollack to gain the necessary context to recognize and understand large scale wildfire trends and the risks that follow closely behind.
This early November, Pollack worked alongside his team in Oregon. “We’ve had two major wildfires come through there: The Lion’s Head and the Big Creek culminated pretty much in our area with 200 mile an hour winds taking out five communities,” Pollack said. Fortunately, everyone was safely evacuated, but these fires are indicative of a larger problem.
“I think what we just saw and experienced in Oregon was what I refer to as a 120-year event. With pushing hundred mile an hour winds coming from the east from Warm Springs reservation, over Mount Jefferson, around both sides. Screaming through the Breitenbush Valley and taking out our two communities,” Pollack said. “Ultimately both fires culminated in this little town out of Detroit, completely destroying and burning it to the ground, except for one small building, the post office made of brick. It was like a blow torch came to the area.”
Pollack described that fires like this are becoming increasingly common due to drier vegetation, higher winds and less rainfall. Though the summer and fall months used to be labeled the ‘fire season,’ many places in the country are now seeing fire activity year-round, for instance, California.
According to Pollack, it’s been difficult to adjust to firefighting tactics against threats this large. There’s more planning around firefighter safety, preparation about resources and availability, as well as prevention techniques of construction. “But when a fire comes through that intensely, we have to leave,” Pollack said.
The impacts from these fires extend further than the towns that are directly affected, like the Western Washington area from Bellingham to Portland. After returning to his home in Port Townsend from a particularly intense fire this summer, Pollack recalled that everyone was commenting on the smokey air.
“You know, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, you never would have even thought of seeing smoke in this area,” Pollack said. “It wouldn’t have happened, but now it’s more of a regular occurrence. That is extreme fire behavior. Mm-hmm. And that’s climate change.”