FIRELINES

Tom McMackin 

Thank you for your support of our volunteers and KCFPD #14 / High Prairie Fire. Covid 19 has made the efforts of all responders more difficult and potentially hazardous, but the protocols developed for safely responding to emergencies have mitigated many of the issues faced by your volunteers. 

Quick reflection on the Summer’s fire season leaves a greater realization of how lucky we on High Prairie have been for the past few years. Klickitat County has benefited from the ‘Luck of the Draw’ this season as well. The number and degree of wildfire incidents was down significantly countywide. The majority of the 90 High Prairie responses to date have been medical related incidents with a few rescue related responses for us in District 14 and in our sister District 4 Lyle. These varied response efforts have all been safely and efficiently accomplished by your department! 

The department currently has 3 firefighter candidates working through the checklist of simple requirements to become responders. Each of these individuals will be an excellent addition to the cadre of responders for District 14. One of these candidates has undertaken, on her own initiative, the course of study and training required to become a certified EMT. High Prairie currently has 4 emergency medical responders, and having another EMS person on board will be a true asset to the High Prairie community. 

If you’re curious about who we are and what we do, please feel free to come by on the 1st, 2nd or 4th Tuesday evening, 7 to 9 PM, during our regular meetings or training drills. 

You can also follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highprairiefire14

The countywide Burn Ban has been lifted, effective October 26, 2022. The extension of the ban was a cautious response to the dry, hot Summer temperatures and a very dry, large burden of ‘fine fuels’ ~ leaf litter, grasses, twiggy weeds ( like Wild Chicory, Skeleton Weed, etc. ) and brush all around us. ‘Caution!’ is still the watch word as you begin to plan for burning this Fall. Remember ~ you are responsible for any fire you start on the ground… so if you don’t want to have a wildfire named after you and potentially be held liable for costs and damage created by Your Fire, use ‘Caution’ and be smart about your when and how you decide to burn. 

Burn barrels are illegal in Klickitat County. There are specific rules and regulations for legal burning. In District 14 there is no requirement for needing a burn permit, however ~ as mentioned before… it is your fire! Here is a link to the WA DNR outdoor burning requirements ~ https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/rp_burn_need_burn_permit.pdf 

In a nutshell, you can only have one fire pile of ‘natural’ materials with a maximum height of 4’ in the center of a 10’ diameter area cleared of flammable debris. No treated lumber, railroad ties, pool tables, kitchen sinks, etc. are allowed. A 5-gallon bucket of water (or charged garden hose) and a shovel need to be readily available at the fire area. Common sense dictates that starting a debris fire… on any windy day that shivers the leaves and grasses, closer than a minimum of 50’ from any structures/property, ideally 500’ from other large brush piles, or when you cannot commit to attending your fire until it is extinguished needs your full attention. If you experience a problem or your fire pile gets out of hand ~ call 911 ASAP for assistance from your fire department.

^ Top


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.