Firefighters locally and from around the state are already meeting to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season, with the goal of avoiding the damage done by devastating wildfires last summer that threatened homes, polluted our air, and blanketed our skies with smoke.
First responders are meeting in Richland for a three-day conference to go over lessons learned from last year’s wildfire season.
Incident management teams are comprised of staff from many different agencies around the state that help mitigate and manage State Mobilization fires.
When fires get so big or complex that a local fire department doesn't have the resources to manage it, they call on the state to step in with assistance.
This call for help not only brings more boots to the ground, but it brings state and federal money as well as staff from the Department of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, Forestry and Washington State Patrol.