A Plains man is assisting with fires in Australia. Scott Schrenk is the Fire Management Officer for the Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District. He flew out January 4 and will be back February 10, his wife Amy told The Ledger.

Schrenk is on assignment as a Type 1 Operations Section Chief and part of a 20-person contingent of U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service employees who were dispatched to New South Wales in southeast Australia, according to Kate Jerman, Lolo National Forest Public Affairs Officer. Schrenck is providing support to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service Incident Management Team based out of the Queanbeyan Fire Control Center. This center is managing four large fires.

Jerman said at this time, Schrenk is the only person from the district going to Australia to help with firefighting efforts there.

Students at Trout Creek Elementary in grades K-2 this week were sewing mittens to send to Australian Wildlife Rescue Organization. Teacher Tracy Bennett said they were in need of donations of fleece or soft material for the mittens, which will be used by the organization to protect burned koala or kangaroo paws while they are healing from the fires. For more information, contact the school at 827-3629.