‘Wildfire risk is growing in our area’: Fire agencies working now to protect Southwest Washington

With rainy weather still in the forecast, it may seem like an odd time to be talking about wildfire. But that’s what Clark County fire districts and other agencies have been doing as they prepare for blazes that have become more common here.

“The normal before was we would have a grass fire or something in a greenbelt that necessitates a few homes being evacuated, not mass evacuations,” said Mike Lewis, an emergency manager for Clark County.

Yet, the past two years have brought wildfires — near Nakia Creek in 2022 and Jenny Creek in 2023 — that forced thousands of Clark County residents to evacuate their homes. Wildfire seasons have become longer and more severe, scorching more land and edging closer to populated areas, experts say.

“Wildfire risk is growing in our area. We have been seeing hotter and drier conditions on the west side of the state, which leads to earlier snowmelt, increased drought and more fuels from dead vegetation,” said Division Chief Chris Drone from Clark County Fire District 3, which covers Battle Ground and east Clark County. “All of these natural factors contribute to longer and more active fire seasons.”

That’s why Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, which provides emergency management services to the county and cities, has already begun convening emergency managers, fire chiefs, and officials from state and federal agencies to plan.

These meetings are important for exchanging information, making contacts and building relationships that are likely to be needed later, Lewis said.

“It’s one of the tenets of emergency management that you don’t want to meet the person across the table for the first time right in the middle of an emergency,” he said.

Rain now, fuel later

It’s hard to say how bad wildfire season will be this year. Our rainy spring is no guarantee that Clark County will be spared the ravages of wildfire this summer. At a forum on wildfire and smoke in April, University of Oregon professor Dan Gavin explained how a rainy spring actually provides fuel for fire by producing abundant grasses and shrubs that become highly flammable during the dry summer months.

Clark Public Utilities is working to ensure something similar never happens here. Spokesman Dameon Pesanti said the utility is working diligently to ensure plans, staff and infrastructure are prepared.

“Wildfire planning is approached from two directions: prevention and response. The electric system in Clark County is built to a level that others in the industry are only now working to reach,” Pesanti said.

Despite already exceeding best practices for safety and resilience, Pesanti said the public utility continues to prioritize improvements. These improvements come from investments in construction, maintenance and operation.

As the county’s population has continued to grow, housing developments have moved farther into rural areas more prone to wildfire. This has created new challenges for the utility.

In urban areas, the utility focuses more on personal safety and educating customers about avoiding downed power lines, electric equipment and reporting issues. In rural areas, the focus is more on safety through system design, construction and maintenance, as well as vegetation management and swift response to incidents.

Pesanti also said utility crews are trained and prepared to drive or walk into challenging terrain when fire conditions are present. He said staff work closely with local fire departments and emergency responders.

“During high-risk weather events, tanker trucks and crews are staged in strategic locations, and line trucks are equipped with fire response equipment,” Pesanti added.

Resource management

While county government resources are not used for fighting fires, Lewis, the emergency manager, said the county still has a role in supporting first responders and the public. The county also manages its public lands, like parks, greenways and walking trails. For example, Clark County Public Works crews have been burning slash piles at Camp Bonneville throughout May to reduce the availability of wildfire fuel.

Drone, of Fire District 3, said sharing resources with other fire agencies and the state Department of Natural Resource is critical, especially during a severe fire. In addition, Drone said the district makes sure all of its firefighters are trained in wildland firefighting.

“This specialized training is very important to ensure that the rural areas of the district are protected,” he said. “This also allows for appropriate aiding of other agencies at local, state and national levels on major wildfire incidents.”

Kyle Thomas-Milward from the Washington Department of Natural Resources said the state began shifting how it responds during fire season around 2020. He said DNR looked at how many acres were burning each year, where and when fires were occurring, and then began adjusting.

“We went from a ‘normal fire season’ being 100,000 acres to the 10-year average we’re working with right now, which is in the 400,000-acre range,” he said.

He said the district also meets regularly with various homeowners associations to provide guidance on wildfire preparedness and prevention.

If there’s one recommendation Lewis would give to Clark County residents to prepare for the upcoming fire season, it would be this: Sign up for public alerts at CRESA911.org.

“It’s imperative,” Lewis said.