Area fire officials provide Information on wildland fire preparedness
Fire District 3 Chief Steve Wrightson provides information to the public about wildland fire preparedness.
By Clark County Today · September 8, 2017
This video was taken between the hours of 5pm and 5am 9/4/2017 – 9/5/2017 from my webcam at WhereintheGorge.com. It is focused on Cascade Locks Oregon. Video courtesy Oca Hoeflein
BRUSH PRAIRIE — The Eagle Creek Fire has prompted several calls to Clark County Fire District 3 from community members seeking information about wildland fire preparedness. Fire District 3 has no active wildland fires in its service territory. However, the 80 square miles of service territory it serves does include wildland areas, and the risk of such a fire is always a possibility.“Fire District 3 serves urban, suburban and rural areas that back up to wildland areas,” said Fire Chief Steve Wrightson. “Property owners can help improve our emergency response by being prepared in case of a wildland fire.”
This video was taken between the hours of 5pm and 5am 9/4/2017 - 9/5/2017 from my webcam at WhereintheGorge.com. It is focused on Cascade Locks Oregon. Video courtesy Oca HoefleinChef Wrightson recommends two websites for local residents to review that contain information on preparing for a wildland fire, and/or evacuations. Please note that there have been no evacuation orders issued for Fire District 3:
·The International Association of Fire Chiefs has prepared a document “Ready, Set, Go: Wildland Fire Action Plan” for homeowners. You can find this resource at: www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Readysetgo(1).pdf.
Fire District 3 also has received calls from people wanting to know who will contact them in case of an evacuation order. Again, Fire District 3 is not under evacuation orders, nor is one imminent. People concerned about a possible evacuation can sign up to receive alerts through CRESA 911 at http://cresa911.org/emergency-management/alerts-warnings/.Clark County Law Enforcement Agencies determine routes and manage traffic, as well as provide door-to-door notifications during an evacuation. Animal Protection and Control serves as the lead agency for addressing the emergency needs of domestic animals, including supporting their evacuation, care, and shelter.The Eagle Creek Fire, which started in Oregon, jumped the Columbia River and has started burning in Skamania County. Like most agencies, Fire District 3 provides people and apparatus to assist with wildland fires throughout the state. These resources are provided only after local emergency service needs are met, and the cost is reimbursed by state and federal agencies.Skamania County is asking about the availability of firefighters and apparatus to respond from neighboring districts for a lengthy mobilization. However, Chief Wrightson says that Fire District 3 is able to provide only a limited number of personnel and apparatus to fight the fire.“We want to do more, but we simply don’t have the resources,” he said. “That’s why making sure our community members are prepared for this type of emergency is so important. It helps improve our emergency response locally if a wildland fire were to occur here at home.”Clark County Fire District 3 provides fire suppression and emergency medical service to 40,000 people over 84 square miles, including the city of Battle Ground. The district’s highly-trained emergency personnel respond to approximately 4,000 calls per year with professionalism and compassion. More information on Fire District 3 can be found on its website www.fire3.org.
