Trilogy Neighbors – After experiencing from a distance the SumnerGrade Fire you may have concerns or questions about “when should I evacuate” and “what do I take with me.” When the state and county move to phase 4 allowing gathering of more than 50 people in a meeting room, we will arrange a meeting with local first responders to answer our questions. We will post the meeting details on the MTL webpage. Thank you, From Your Firewise Committee.
Live Press Conference – East Pierce County Fire. A live press conference is being held right now. I am watching it on Pierce County Professional Firefighters Facebook page. In this press briefing they said the evacuation zones will be updated at 6PM tonight (9/11). They also said they were using social media as the main source of information. East Pierce County Twitter and City of Bonney Lake Twitter. They outlined how the fire is being fought. The department of transportation said they will be removing all trees that could fall on SR410 before they open the road. All the information will be posted on the Bonney Lake website.
Chief Backer just stated homes with defensible space around it were easier to defend. He also recommended homeowners visit the Firewise USA website. The chief for the Graham fire department noted one of the homes in Graham that was saved had burned 360 degrees around the home and it was still saved because of the homeowner creating a defensible space around the home. Images can be found on their site.
Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statewide emergency proclamation today to ensure immediate response to multiple wildfires in Central and Eastern Washington, as well as the Olympic Peninsula.
Go to Trilogy Firewise to report your volunteer hours in creatiing a defensible wildfire zone around your home
Each year, wildland fires consume homes in the wildland-urban interface – defined as areas where homes are built near or among lands prone to wildland fire. Studies show that as many as 80 percent of homes lost to wildland fire may have been saved if brush around the homes were cleared and defensible space created around structures. There is no better time than now to prepare and educate your family, friends and neighbors. Make sure everyone knows what to do to protect people and homes in case of fire.
Prepare around your home. If your home is built in or near the forest, follow these steps to protect your home from wildfire. When developing your home landscaping, try planting fire-resistant plants to help reduce your risk from wildfire.
Unite with your neighbors – start a Firewise USA® Recognition site.
Know the outdoor burning rules. DNR regulates outdoor burning on all forestlands where we provide wildfire protection. Don’t burn outdoors until you know the rules.
Fire season in the Pacific Northwest has arrived and along with that comes a county-wide burn ban. You may have seen the fire char in dry brush on the east side of Hwy 410 while traveling towards Sumner. Our East Pierce Fire Department was successful at keeping the fire from traveling up the hill towards heavier fuels. Many of us are watering our plants and shrubs more than normal and the trees along the trails are looking a little thirsty.
State and County fire resources have trained and completed resource planning; they are prepared for a busy fire season. Now it is time for all of us to do our part by preparing our homes, obtaining the items for our “go-bags”, and making preparations to evacuate if directed by Fire Incident Commanders or Pierce County Emergency Management personnel.
By being informed, preparing our homes, and being able to fend for ourselves, emergency responders will be able to devote their resources to emergency incident mitigation.
Suggested Readings:
Watch a 30-minute video “Understanding the Wildfire Threat to Homes”. An overview of fire history, fire basics, and how homes burn.
Find out more about All Hazards preparedness, CPR/First Aid training opportunities and additional emergency resources i.e.; Red Cross, State Emergency Management.
The National Firewise Communities Program is a national interagency program that encourages partnerships among communities, homeowners, private industry, tribes, and public agencies and officials to develop and implement local solutions for wildfire preparedness – before a fire starts. Wildfires are a natural process,
So what can you do to help protect yourself, your home and property from wildfires? Here are some tips for preparing your home and yard against a wildfire.
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