23-05-2025
Firefighters in western WA train for possibility of 'above average' wildfire season
The Brief
Wildfires are now an annual threat in western Washington, intensified by climate change.
Fire agencies across the state are proactively preparing and training for an "above average" wildfire season.
Public cooperation is crucial, as over 85% of wildfires are human-caused, officials warn.
NORTH BEND, Wash. - Once a rare occurrence, wildfires have become an annual threat in western Washington. Fire agencies in the region said the risk intensifies every year due to climate change. Now, crews are proactively preparing themselves and the public for the upcoming season.
"People need to understand that it's time to prepare. It's time to harden your home. It's time to be ready for those fires that are going to occur in western Washington on the wildland urban interface," said Ryan Rodruck, the state lands and wildfire communications manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Big picture view
Firefighters from 16 regional agencies participated in the annual "Ready, Set, Go!" Evacuation and Wildfire Firefighting Demonstration Day, held in North Bend. The yearly training gives wildland firefighters an opportunity to join forces to spread awareness of emergency evacuation procedures, provide education about wildfire mitigation practices, and demonstrate wildfire firefighting techniques.
"There are fires now happening in western Washington that we need to be prepared for. We just witnessed it in Palisades. Those people weren't prepared for what occurred," said Seth Merritt, battalion chief with Eastside Fire & Rescue.
Merritt was one of four members from Eastside Fire & Rescue that were called to help in the destructive Palisades Wildfire in California. It scorched nearly 24,000 acres full of homes and businesses in January.
Washington experienced similar devastation with the Sumner-Grade Fire in 2020, and the Bolt Creek Fire in 2022. Merritt said lessons learned from all those fires help local agencies train their crews for the possibility of more threats.
"It's learning how to work with each other's equipment, with each other's processes so that when the incident does happen, we're better prepared," said Merritt. "There's new firefighters and seasoned veterans that are out here going through this training, working together, going through different stations in that training."
Though it's still early in the year, the DNR is already estimating this could be an "above average" wildfire season.
"We have the aircraft we need. We have the resources we need, and we're well-prepared to serve the residence of the state of Washington," said Rodruck. "DNR is very well-prepared to address those fires that occur under our protection, but it's very important for folks to help us in fighting those fires and have a plan and harden your home."
While the DNR is prepared to fight the flames in its jurisdiction, Rodruck said some federal resources could be in question in the future.
"We have had some concerns over those federal cuts. DNR as a state agency is prepared to address those fires that happen on our jurisdiction. I think what's concerning is the lack of communication that has come from the federal government while they've been making changes to wildfire," said Rodruck.
Officials with other agencies, like Eastside, said they have added more resources to better equip themselves for the upcoming and future wildfire seasons.
"We've upped our preparedness level. We've added hose and tool compliments to our first-out engines so that we're more ready to deal with wildland. We also are adding two new brush trucks next week, which brings our brush truck fleet to the highest it's ever been with six," said Merritt.
The local, county and state fire agencies said its crews are prepared for the wildland fire season. However, they are still relying on members of the public to use caution and help reduce the risk. King County Emergency Management said more than 85% of wildland fires are caused by humans.
"The risk in western Washington is greatly increasing," said Brendan McCluskey, director of King County Emergency Management.
McCluskey said part of the annual wildland fire training is also teaching crews how to educate community members on wildfire preparedness and mitigation practices. He said property owners can start their preparations by creating a safety plan, especially when responding to the three levels of evacuation, "Ready, Set, Go."
"We want people to understand that when an evacuation order is issued, we want them to pay attention to it. We also want them to do things like have a kit ready, including a kit in their car. Have a plan to evacuate where they're going to go. And be able to get messages to things like Alert King County," said McCluskey.
The Source
Information in this story came from Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Eastside Fire & Rescue and King County Emergency Management.
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