SALEM, Ore. — Fire officials are expecting an above average fire season this year. While firefighters are going through training and getting ready, they are behind the scenes preparing to help those on the ground. Ryan Gordon and several other Oregon Department of Forestry personnel are in training for fire season, but they’re not exactly firefighters. …“I sit behind a computer… That’s until summer comes around. ” When there’s a fire and I get a call to help in one of the capacities that I’m qualified to help with.” The annual firefighting airplane training gives ODF personnel a chance to practice loading the aircraft with water-enhancing gel, which is used to suppress wildfires. 2019 also marks a special milestone for the Oregon Department of Forestry: 100 years of aviation.