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April weather in Pierce County can be wild!\u00a0 It clearly lives up to the old adage, \u201cif you don\u2019t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change.\u201d\u00a0 Last Saturday, we saw blustery winds, hail, drenching rain, sunshine, and cold temperatures alternating throughout the day!\u00a0 I was in Wilkeson, but my thoughts were with those participating in the Daffodil Parade!<\/p>\n
Why was I up in Wilkeson?\u00a0 I was invited to speak at an event hosted by the Pierce Conservation District, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), our Department of Emergency Management (DEM), the Buckley Fire Department, East Pierce Fire & Rescue, Orting Fire & Rescue, the US Forest Service, the US Geological Survey (USGS), the WSU Master Gardeners, the Friends of the Carbon River Canyon, and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.\u00a0 More importantly for the young residents who showed up, Smokey Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog were also there!<\/p>\n
All these agencies came together on a wet 34-degree April morning at Wilkeson Elementary School to help our communities plan and prepare for the summer wildfire season.<\/p>\n
This coming September, it will be six years since I had my introduction to wildfires as the Pierce County Executive.\u00a0 I vividly recall sitting in on a Federal Incident Management Team meeting at the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort with then Buckley Fire Chief Alan Predmore.<\/p>\n
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A fire in Eastern Washington had unexpectedly swept over the Pacific Crest Trail, threatening the ski area and many of the cabins off State Route (SR) 410.\u00a0 I am so thankful to the Crystal Mountain, Greenwater and Buckley firefighters for protecting those communities from the Norse Peak Fire.<\/p>\n
Almost three years to the day later, in 2020, I was in the Pierce County Sheriff\u2019s plane at 10 a.m. surveying the Sumner Grade Fire.<\/p>\n
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At that time, the fire looked somewhat contained, especially by the four-lanes of SR 410.\u00a0 But the afternoon winds increased dramatically, and the fire jumped the highway threatening many homes and ultimately destroying two.\u00a0 Again, I was very appreciative of the leadership of then East Pierce Fire Chief Bud Backer and firefighters from throughout the region.\u00a0 It could have been much worse.<\/p>\n
While the Norse Peak Fire was up in the forested mountains, far from much of our population, the Sumner Grade fire was burning a wooded hillside bounded by suburban homes.\u00a0 Many of us, including me, love that our houses have trees in our yards and may be adjacent to a greenbelt.\u00a0 But increasingly, those greenbelts and even our yard landscaping can become fuel during a long, hot dry summer.<\/p>\n
Now is the time to plan and prepare for a potential fire hitting your neighborhood.\u00a0 There are some commonsense actions we can take to reduce the risk to our houses and our communities.<\/p>\n
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