New state program aims to make Gig Harbor Wildfire Ready – Gig Harbor Now

Community Environment Government Health and Wellness Police and Fire

Wildlife Ready Neighbors, a statewide initiative that helps homeowners prepare their homes for wildfires, expanded to Gig Harbor last week.

State Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz unveiled the new program during a press conference at Fire Station 50 in Gig Harbor on May 31. Officials from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One joined him.

Neighbors ready for wildfires

Wildfire Ready Neighbors offers state residents strategies that can protect their homes in the event of a wildfire. Homeowners can receive personalized action plans to protect their home from fire and request an in-person inspection by a wildfire expert. Residents can sign up for these free services at wildfireready.com.

“This is an important step in wildfire preparedness,” Franz said in a speech announcing the program. “This is absolutely crucial given the importance of the risks.”

Wildfires are no longer a problem just in central or eastern Washington, Franz said. They pose a growing threat in the western part of the state.

“The reality is we are seeing an increase in wildfires west of the Cascades year after year,” she said. “Last year, for the first time in Washington state history – recorded in Washington state history – we had more wildfires west of the Cascades than east of the Cascades.”

Wildfire Ready Neighbors has now expanded to 11 Washington counties, Franz said. It began as a pilot program in Chlean, Okanagan and Spokane counties in 2020, shortly after a Labor Day Firestorm in Eastern Washington State where 56 fires broke out in 24 hours.

Prevention in action

Walking around the town of Malden in Whitman County, one of the epicenters of the 2020 fires, Franz noticed a few select homes that escaped damage.

“On almost every block there was a completely intact house. It seemed like luck had just come to this family,” she said. “As I learned more, I realized there was a lot our homeowners could do to prevent fire from taking hold in the home.”

Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One Chief Dennis Doan said he is excited to see the Wildfire Ready program expand into the community. The more homes that prepare for wildfires, he said, the safer firefighters will be.

“As firefighters, when we show up at their homes, if the neighborhood and the homeowners have taken those steps, that protects us,” he said. “If a house has not prepared, then we will have to stop and dedicate resources to that house. But if we have an entire block, house or neighborhood that has done this – that is, is wildfire ready – we can attack the fire directly.