The first time Snohomish County used a state law to send firefighters to a blaze in Eastern Washington, it was 1994.
Travis Hots remembers. He was 18, a volunteer from Lake Goodwin.
He didn’t know he had to bring his own tent or protective gear. He was issued a paper sleeping bag when he got to Leavenworth.
In 2015, Snohomish County firefighters went to 17 major wildfires statewide. Already this year, they’ve seen blazes here, in Oso and Gold Bar. Last year, a small wildfire in a ravine just outside of Everett burned for days and endangered homes.
“People are realizing it might be a threat here,” said Heather Chadwick, a spokeswoman for the Clearview and Monroe fire districts.
In recent years, more local fire departments have been adding wildfire training, equipment and rigs. They say that with changing weather patterns, like last year’s dry spell, and with development pushing into formerly rural areas, it’s only going to get worse.
Only a few local fire departments used to keep brush trucks, the little firefighting pickups that look like rolling toolboxes.