Cle Elum community is the 100th ‘Firewise Community/USA’ in state

Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark congratulates residents of a community near Cle Elum for reducing wildfire threats to their homes. Photo: Janet Pearce/DNR.

Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark joined with other officials this morning in Cle Elum to congratulate residents of Hidden Valley Meadows/Vista Community for becoming the 100th Firewise Community in the state. At a special event this morning, residents of the Kittitas County community displayed wildfire prevention techniques they put in place to protect their homes and property from fire. The Hidden Valley Meadows/Vista Community was evacuated, but spared from, last year’s destructive Taylor Bridge Fire, which came within a mile of the development.

CLICK on image to see eight simple actions you can take that will greatly reduce wildfire risks to your home. Image: firewise.org.

Communities can earn national recognition from the Firewise Communities/USA® Program for taking steps to reduce wildfire threats to their homes and other structures.

Attending this morning’s event with Goldmark were several members of the media, along with representatives from the Washington Conservation Commission, Kittitas County Fire District #7, Kittitas County Commission, Kittitas County Conservation District, and Skagit Conservation District.

We’ve already had several wildfires this year in Washington State, and the fire season just begun. Here are eight things you can do this weekend to improve the odds of your home surviving a wildfire.

Follow DNR on:

DNR wildland fire crew members honored for swift actions in civilian rescue during Taylor Bridge Fire

Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark presents a commendation certificate to DNR employee Bob Stein recently in Ellensburg. Additional recipients were Dave Adams (center) and Dave Brown (behind Stein). Photo Koshare Eagle/DNR.

Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark recently honored three employees of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for their efforts to ensure the safety of citizens caught up in the Taylor Bridge Fire last summer.

David Brown and Bob Stein, who work in DNR’s Southeast Region Office based Ellensburg; and David Adams, from the DNR Aviation Program in Olympia, successfully coordinated their efforts to rescue two civilians who were at imminent risk during the first hours of the wildfire. Goldmark, who also oversees DNR, presented the three workers with special commendations during a visit to Ellensburg in April.

Rescue effort was success 

Big hearts in Japan aid victims of Taylor Bridge Fire

The Taylor Bridge Fire, which started August 13, 2012, destroyed 61 residences and burned 23,500 acres between Cle Elum and Ellensburg. Photo: DNR.

After a visit to the devastated landscape caused by the Taylor Bridge Fire last summer, a delegate from Sanda City in Japan, Shinobu Nakumura, found herself wondering how her country could help the victims of the fire.

After all, her visit marked the 20^th anniversary of Sanda City being a sister community with Kittitas County.

On the return flight back to Japan, she spoke with other delegates and later proposed a fundraising effort through the Sanda International Association’s sister city committee. The committee OK’d the plan and the residents of Sanda City began a fundraiser.

Read more of the story from the Ellensburg Daily Record.

Follow DNR on:

What you were reading: A glance at our top posts from August

Postings about the Taylor Bridge Fire – one of the most destructive to property in Washington State in recent years – drew high interest from Ear to the Ground readers in August. The tragic death of DNR diver team member David Scheinost was also among the most viewed blog posts last month.

With wildfire threatening Washington State, DNR wants you to be prepared
DNR shares preparedness tips for those who live in wildfire-prone areas.

 

 

 

  

Small gestures of kindness add up quickly for fire crews far from home

One side of the story you might not have seen in the news reports about the Taylor Bridge Fire was the sincere gratitude expressed by residents in the communities affected by the fire.

Thanks to Kittitas County Fire District 7, we have some examples of the community support and positive response to the firefighters from multiple agencies who worked long days to contain the Taylor Bridge Fire: 

• Many signs showing support for firefighters on display around Cle Elum, Ellensburg and other communities affected by the wildfire.
• Residents frequently insisting on paying for firefighters whenever they were spotted buying coffee at local latte stands during rest hours.
• Members of the public frequently saying “thank you” whenever they spotted a firefighter around town.
• Many on Facebook commenting about the fire on their personal pages also advocated for raising funds for the local volunteer fire departments.
• Fire chiefs of several of the departments responding to the fire were approached at community meetings and asked for a list of firefighter needs.
• More than one homeowner asked for a list of the fire departments working the wildfire in order send them thank-you notes for saving their homes and trying to save others.
• Multiple accolades and supportive comments toward firefighters were posted to the public on the Twitter feed and Facebook pages of the various fire departments involved.
• Donation drop-off locations for fire victims at numerous locations across state were inundated.
• Via the Ellensburg Daily Record: A car wash initially planned as a community project for the Ellensburg High School volleyball team turned into a benefit for those affected by the fire. “We’ll stop washing cars when the cars stop coming,” one student told the newspaper.
• The Washington Division of Anderson Hay & Grain in Ellensburg donated a lunch to fire crews that it had initially planned to provide at an employee appreciation day.

Follow DNR on:

Taylor Bridge Fire crews appreciate messages from public

The more than 1,000 personnel still working on the Taylor Bridge Fire in central Washington have received an outpouring of gratitude from the public for their hard work to contain the wildfire. By this morning’s 6 a.m. all-hands briefing, this poster (see photo) compiling comments from DNR’s Facebook page yesterday was on several bulletin boards at the incident command center in Cle Elum.

The fire is at the 90 percent containment point today and more roads have been reopened, including SR970 and SR97. While mop-up continues, there are still some tricky weather conditions in the forecast, namely high winds.

Interesting fact: Through this morning, approximately 130,000 feet of hose has been used, 182,000 gallons of retardant dropped from fixed wing airplanes and 1.9 million gallons of water dropped from helicopters.

• Get updates about DNR’s fire program at twitter.com/waDNR_fire 
• See our Burn Risk Map
• Check fire and burning regulations
• View active wildfire status in Washington state on InciWeb

Follow DNR on:

Wildland firefighters rock! Outpouring of gratitude to Taylor Bridge Fire crews and volunteers

TOP: At the 6:00 a.m. all-hands briefing this morning in Cle Elum, Commissioner Peter Goldmark thanked the firefighters and support personnel working on the Taylor Bridge Fire. BOTTOM: Signs posted by Cle Elem residents. Photos: Jessica Payne/DNR.

With the Taylor Bridge Fire close to full containment (though not over by any means), residents and neighbors from Cle Elum to Ellensburg are saying ‘thanks’. Even if you are not able to post a sign (see photo) or meet one of the more than 900 people who worked to contain the fire or one of the many volunteers who helped in other ways, we have a way for you to share your thoughts. Visit DNR’s Facebook page today and give us a “Like” or make a comment. We’ll pass your comments along to the crews on the site for you.

Follow DNR on Facebook

Extreme fire danger this weekend, says Taylor Bridge Fire Incident Commander in new public service announcement

Rex Reed, DNR Fire Team 2 Incident Commander, urges the public to be safe with fire outdoors this weekend. CLICK on photo to view announcement.

Speaking from the scene of Washington state’s largest fire this summer, Rex Reed, Incident Team Commander on the Taylor Bridge Fire in central Washington, warns that lightning is expected Saturday in the same area where more than 22,000 acres have burned in a wildfire that broke out on Monday.

“We need to be able to focus on this fire and any natural-caused fires…” Reed said. Fires caused by people are the last thing we need, so please be extra careful this weekend to prevent any more wildfires.

View the entire 30-second public service announcement on DNR’s Facebook page.

Follow DNR on:

Evacuation levels: who decides and what do they mean?

Evacuation zones-Taylor Bridge Fire:
Red is Level 1 Evacuation
Yellow is Level 2 Evacuation
Green is Level 3 Evacuation
Blue squares are assembly sites for evacuees. CLICK to view map is.gd/sgYCD7

The two major wildfires in Washington have prompted local officials to order numerous residents to evacuate or be prepared to leave in the face of oncoming flames. Being ready to evacuate during a wildfire is a fact of life for anyone who lives in the wildfire-prone areas of our state.

Fire evacuations are aimed at saving lives and protecting the safety of residents and firefighters, as well as property; but who is responsible to issue and enforce these orders? 

The answer is: local emergency managers and law enforcement officials. But these officials do not work alone. Emergency agencies across the nation — the world, in fact — have learned that managing wildfires and other disasters works best through a ‘unified command’ incident management structure in which firefighters and local safety agencies work together. Fire managers assess the weather, terrain, potential spread, and other factors about a fire to help emergency officials decide whether to advise or order evacuations (and when to lift them after the threat has passed).

Three fire evacuation alert levels that homeowners should be familiar with are:

Level 1: Residents are informed in person of the situation.

Level 2: Residents are asked to consider leaving the area, or be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. At this point, law enforcement officials may limit access back into the area.

Level 3: Fire is in the area. People are to leave immediately. Access into the area is restricted.

A townhall meeting on August 15 brought numerous residents of Kittitas and Yakima counties to the Central Washington University campus in Ellensburg for the latest news about the Taylor Bridge Fire. Photo: Janet Pearce/DNR.

Here are basic preparedness questions to answer to get ready for a possible wildfire evacuation:

• Are you familiar with your community’s disaster-preparedness plans and created a family emergency plan?
• Do you have plans to care for your pets in case of an evacuation?
• Do you know where the closest police, fire and emergency medical facilities are located?
• Have you planned different escape routes from your home and neighborhood?
• Have you designated an emergency meeting place for the family to meet and an established contact point to communicate with concerned relatives?
• Do you have an emergency kit that includes: at least a three-day supply of drinking water and food that needs no refrigeration or cooking; a portable NOAA weather radio; first aid supplies and medications; basic tools, such as a wrench, a flashlight and gloves; portable lanterns and batteries; credit cards and cash?

Follow DNR on:

Washington’s westside counties also on wildfire watch

 

Unusual weather conditions prompted the U.S. Weather Service to issue a Red Flag warning for several westside counties in Washington. Fire danger is expected to remain high across most of the state today. CLICK map to see the latest forecast. Image: NOAA/US Weather Service.

Hot and dry conditions make the potential for wildfire extremely high over the next several days on both sides of the Cascade Mountains. In a statement released this morning (Thursday, 8/16) Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark said:

“The next three days are going to be very dangerous in terms of the potential for wildfire. That is true in Western Washington as well as Eastern Washington. It is everyone’s responsibility to be safe and not take any risks. As the Taylor Bridge Fire demonstrates, the risk and consequences of catastrophic wildfire is extreme. We have hundreds of firefighters fighting two major wildfires in Washington and resources are stretched thin by fires across the West. Now is the time to be ever-vigilant.”

Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark updates media about the Taylor Bridge Fire on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Bryan Flint/DNR.

In addition to the Taylor Bridge Fire in central Washington, local, state, tribal and federal wildfire teams, in addition to DNR, are dealing with the Buffalo Lake Road Fire, which has burned more than 8,000 acres near Coulee Dam since Tuesday evening, August 14.

Follow DNR on: