Tom McMackin
Your Klickitat County Fire Protection District #14 / High Prairie logged 85 runs to date. There were 3 wildfire incidents and once again the majority of these incident responses were medical in nature. Our members provided mutual aid teaming with firefighters from Lyle, Bingen, Wishram, White Salmon on the initial attack phase of each fire. A tender [water tanker] and two firefighters from KCFPD #14 responded to support Skamania County and Washington DNR fire crews in their efforts early in the Tunnel 5 Fire. High Prairie made the break into September without experiencing a wildfire incident. A little luck… along with your attention to details by being aware of the high fire potential conditions and acting with caution and safe practices in your outdoor activities have helped to get High Prairie into Fall without an incident!
The Klickitat County Burn Ban remains in place and will be with us for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Please be careful in all outdoor activities to avoid any activities that have the potential to create a spark or overheated equipment components in the presence of flashy fuels like grasses and leaf litter!
The realities of Nature’s wildfire incidents are stark and scary. There is a seemingly capricious demeanor to the movement and impacts any one of these types of event have on our lives. The threat to lives and property is inescapable. It doesn’t need to be fire on your doorstep. Simply catching news stories and images are compelling and frightening enough to disrupt our daily sleep and waking activities.
The Maui and Tunnel 5 wildfire incidents presented some characteristics, as well as, illustrate parallel conditions in our own backyards here on High Prairie and generally throughout Klickitat County. Wind, extended drought conditions, power lines, rural roadways, limited water resources, lay of the land, etc. are conditions we can witness by walking to the picture window of every home on the prairie. The place fire occupies in Nature’s process interacting with us in the Wildland Urban/Rural Interface (WUI) that we call home, use for a relaxing getaway, or business and truly treasure is undeniable.
The reality is clearly stated in the comment “It is not a matter of ‘If…’ but ‘When…’ and ‘How Bad Will it be ?’ “ A simple combination of any of these listed ‘local’ factors could be, in a very few heart beats, ~ catastrophic on similar scales. Any ‘disaster’ scenario whether a process of Nature or human caused will have impacts across a broad spectrum. Fire itself brings special challenges ~ smoke that makes breathing or seeing nearly impossible, heat, frightening displays of bursting, roaring walls of flame, etc. to the experience.
Klickitat County has developed and is working to create an innovative Department of Emergency Management. The current Emergency Alert System is available for sign up to receive alerts and emergency notifications when an incident or developing conditions may impact you, your home or neighborhood.
It is something you can sign up for today! Here are links the the Department of Emergency Management and the alert program.
https://www.klickitatcounty.org/249/Emergency-Management
https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/login.action?pa=klickitatco
https://www.smart911.com/smart911/registration/registrationLanding.action
KCFPD #14 High Prairie is developing a program with the goal of returning to presenting public safety information sessions for High Prairie residents and interested friends and neighbors. Tentatively proposed for late Fall, we are working to incorporate Klickitat County Emergency Management, Fire Services resources and databases with the Ready, Set, Go and FireWise programs to present in one setting information to address issues that may impact living on High Prairie.
Understanding potential emergencies; preparing for how we can respond; creating defensible environments for our homes and property; learning about our unique circumstances and conditions; creating a plan for action to succeed in preserving life and important personal property, as well as thrive in the beauty surrounding us is priceless!