Washington leaders warn of another bad wildfire season

OLYMPIA – With Washington in a drought and facing another difficult fire season, Gov. Jay Inslee and Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark held their annual exercise that emphasizes fire preparedness and safety.

They walked a mile in under 16 minutes and got into a practice fire shelter in under 30 seconds. Department of Natural Resources Wildfire Division Manager Bob Johnson said it is the least strenuous of all tests for those who might go to a fire line. The most strenuous, which firefighters must pass, involves carrying a 45-pound pack for 3 miles in less than 45 minutes.

But Wednesday’s test gave Inslee and Goldmark a chance to discuss the prospects of another devastating fire season after 2014, which saw the largest wildfire in state history at the Carlton Complex fires in Central Washington. The state already has had more than 200 fires this year, Goldmark said, and with warmer and drier weather in May and June, the prospects for fires on the West Side have increased.

“I’m concerned this is heralding in what could be another very destructive fire season,” Goldmark said.

The state is urging residents in forested areas to create “defensible space” around their homes and buildings by removing branches, dead trees, dried grass and other combustible materials in the area.

“We have to understand, this is something that is going to be with us for decades,” Inslee said. “Washington’s going to have to inure itself and become prepared for more forest fires.”

Increased money for fighting fires is being proposed for the coming two-year budget cycle, although the Legislature is into its second special session on overall budget talks. Those talks haven’t come to a point where a specific amount of money for firefighting can be determined, Inslee said. 

“I’m not totally confident of anything in the budget yet because it hasn’t been done.”