Washington to fight homelessness by reducing wildfire risks

OLYMPIA – Washington will help fight homelessness by trying to prevent wildfires in its northeast counties.

A bill signed Wednesday directs the state Department of Natural Resources to provide funds to Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties for radio equipment and to develop programs to reduce the risk of wildfires. The money can come from state funds to reduce homelessness because they’re designed to control the risk to life and property that may result from wildfires.

The department also can bypass standard rules for the disposal of state property to transfer older firefighting vehicles and equipment to counties where wildfires are common and the median household income is below the state average.

The law goes into effect immediately.