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Attack fires earlier

After this year’s fire season, I think it’s time to re-evaluate how they are fought. Why is it that we bring in all that we have in our arsenal to fight fires only after they get large and out of control? My perception is that resources (manpower and money) are allocated on a need-only basis. Why? To conserve resources. But then once the fires get really out of control, only then are substantially more resources brought in to fight them.

Maybe we have it backward. All fires should be aggressively fought (more manpower, money and resources) before they get out of control. Allocate more resources (overkill) in the beginning, stopping the fires before they get out of control that cost us more in the long run. Pay more upfront to save substantially more in the back end. The federal and state governments need to collaborate better.

The advantages are too numerous to state herein.

Gregory Ruff

Spokane

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