Wildfire season is fast approaching. Here’s what Gig Harbor is doing to be prepared
May is wildfire prevention month, and the city of Gig Harbor is doing what it can to prepare for wildfire season.
To make sure your home or neighborhood is prepared for the coming fire season, the Pierce Conservation District, East Pierce Fire & Rescue, Orting Valley Fire, Greenwater Fire and Washington State Department of Natural Resources have teamed up for a Virtual Firewise Seminar that will take place May 25 at 6 p.m. for communities, homeowners’ associations and property owners.
You can register using for the Pierce County Firewise Webinar using an online form.
“We are supporting and encouraging the virtual seminar, and the programming will be geared more towards the homeowner, providing information on how people can mitigate wildfire risks in our communities and in our neighborhoods,” said Eric Waters, division chief at Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One.
Some firefighters from the Gig Harbor Fire Department participated in Willdland Urban Interface (WUI) programming last week, put on by International Association Firefighters 7th District, which serves union firefighters across Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
Earlier this month Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One hosted a regional wildfire preparedness training for command officers, who will respond to and manage fires when they occur.
“Over 100 people attended this event from agencies across the region,” Waters said. “Last week we submitted a grant to the Pierce County Conservation District in hopes to help us perform some risk assessments. It would allow us to go into our communities and assess some details in our wildfire prone areas.”
Even though it may be hard to think about wildfires with all the recent rain, wildfires can still start.
“We actually had a call last week from a gentleman doing yard work, clearing out some vegetation. A spark got into some dead brush on the ground, and next thing he knew, a bush went up in flames,” Waters said. “If we go into a period where suddenly we have three weeks of dry weather, like we did last June, where on the 7th it was pouring down rain and by the 30th it was 100 degrees, those quick climate changes dry out those little fuels, and it doesn’t take much to get it going.”
As part of wildfire prevention month, Elly Claus-McGahan presented a Wildfire Resiliency Policy for Gig Harbor and the unincorporated area at the May 9 Gig Harbor City Council meeting on behalf of Climate Pierce County, asking Gig Harbor to consider incorporating wildfire-resilience policy into its comprehensive plan.
According to Wildland Urban Interface map, more than 50% of Gig Harbor would give a wildfire fuel.
“Forest, brush and houses all provide fuel to a wildfire. Add wind in the right direction and the danger is real,” Claus-McGahan said at the meeting.
This story was originally published May 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
