Annie and John Sherwin had a wake-up call five years ago. A historic heat dome that brought temperatures soaring into the triple digits also brought a wildfire nearby.
“That really got us thinking,” John said, “What would it be like to be in a fire here?”
Now, coming out of a winter that brought the third-straight year of below-average snowpack, rapid snowmelt, above-normal temperatures, and below-average rainfall, fire season has the potential to begin earlier and be more active, according to those at the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
“That’s what sets you up for significant fire potential,” said Angie Lane with the Wildland Fire Management division of DNR. “Those are the fires that would not be contained with [local] resources available and become large and costly.”
While the next month will give people like Lane a better feel for the exact conditions, it’s early enough for agencies to prepare. DNR has fully staffed its firefighting force for the season, even as State lawmakers slashed its prevention budget nearly in half. Those are programs like prescribed burns and undergrowth clearing to make landscapes less prone to explosive fire behavior. It’s known as the Forest Health and Wildfire Resiliency work inside the department.
“It might not affect us directly this summer, but it certainly will in the future,” said Dave Upthegrove, Commissioner of Public Lands and Director of DNR. “We’re still pursuing prescribed burns and things like that, but as we look towards next year, we’re going to need the Legislature to step in and fill the hole they created.”
Adding to the staffing challenges this year, federal cuts to the U.S Forest Service will limit how much states like Washington will be able to rely on the support that has traditionally been there. While the Northwest Interagency Fire Center reports all seasonal firefighting positions have been filled, cuts to support positions like communications, meteorologists, and incident commanders will pare back the structures around the work firefighters do. Senator Patty Murray’s office reports dozens of those positions have been cut, including 35 in the Mt. Baker National Forest.
“We won’t be able to rely as much on the federal government in the same way we have,” Upthegrove said.
Several agencies point to Firewise programs that help people protect their homes ahead of fire season. The Sherwin’s requested an assessment of their home this year. Nestled in a rural stretch of forest south of Issaquah, the natural aesthetic that drew them to the area is what makes it vulnerable to fire.
“With climate change and the increasing likelihood of fires everywhere, especially in wooded areas, it became very clear that we need to start thinking about this,” Sherwin said.
Eastside Fire & Rescue’s Emergency Management Coordinator Catherine Robinson visits homes to assess the risks, what could or should be changed, and how people can make their homes fire-resistant.
“Most homes that burn in a wildfire are because of embers landing on or about your home,” Robinson said. “The fire may never actually arrive here; it could be miles away, but embers can travel very far, and a lot of our big fires in this area would be in conjunction with a high wind event.”
Metal, clay, or cement roofs are more resistant than wood ones. Composite decks, instead of wood, can create barriers around homes, especially with metal screens to prevent debris from building up underneath.
“We look for continuity of fuels, what’s flammable next to what’s flammable, next to what’s flammable, next to your home,” Robinson said. Creating breaks in fuel sources can stop a fire from spreading. Wood fences and brush — especially that which is dry or dead — can create a path for fires to be brought to homes. Trees that aren’t pruned next to sprawling, growing brush can create a path for fire to climb vertically as well.
“If you have a situation where you have dry vegetation on the ground, then you have taller brush that leads to and connects with branches, now you’re allowing fire to climb into trees,” she added.
The first five feet around the home is the most important, Robinson says, to remove anything flammable — from mulch, to wooden furniture, to vegetation. Next, she looks at five to thirty feet around the home, where cleaning possible fire fuels out is also important.
“What is the driest thing in this forest? This house. That goes for most homes. We dehumidify, we air condition them, we heat them. Our homes are basically reconstituted forest in dry conditions,” Robinson said.
Metal screens of 1/8 of an inch or smaller are important around windows, vents, and skylights. It’s small enough that most embers can’t make it through, and won’t melt like plastic. Even ledges on the outside of the home can be a place where embers build up and spark. Metal in those places can help prevent fire from igniting.
After their assessment, the Sherwin family says they are applying for King County’s cost-sharing program to lay gravel around the five feet around their home. John says seeing fires rage in urban areas like Southern California this year, Maui in 2023, and suburbs outside of Denver in the winter of 2021 has opened their eyes.
“By doing the work to harden our house, we’re really helping stop the spread from structure to structure because that’s something that can happen in the City of Issaquah,” John said.
90% of fires are caused by humans — something as mindless as flicking a cigarette, something as unintentional as chains dragging on pavement creating a spark, or sparks from cars and equipment — can turn into vast fires.
Visit the following links for information on Firewise programs in your community:
Ready, Set Go Evacuation Information
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