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6.3 Increasing Wildfire Response <br />throughout Kittitas County <br />The multiple agencies responsible for fire <br />suppression have developed an excellent network <br />of interagency support and cooperation. Generally, <br />suppression resources have been able to respond <br />to wildland fire occurrences with adequate <br />resources using this system. However, some <br />concern is expressed over the ability of this system <br />to sustain itself in the face of climate change and <br />the current trend of decreasing volunteer capacity, <br />aging firefighters, and decreasing budgets. <br />In addition to fire suppression resources available <br />within the fire protection districts, seasonal wildland <br />firefighters are available through USFS, DNR, and <br />BLM. These resources are trained and equipped to <br />fight wildland fire only; unlike the fire protection <br />district resources, they are not trained or equipped <br />to fight a structure fire. The USFS, DNR, and BLM <br />also offer access to national incident and area <br />command teams and resources, when required. <br />6.4 Emergency <br />Preparedness/Evacuation <br />Emergency evacuation procedures are the <br />responsibility of the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office. <br />During a wildfire, the Incident Commander (in <br />coordination and with the approval of the agencies <br />having jurisdiction) will recommend evacuation. <br />Routes and locations of shelters/centers depend on <br />fire location and numbers of affected individuals, <br />and so must be made on a case-by-case basis at <br />the time of the incident. Kittitas County has an <br />Evacuation Plan. <br />Community Wildfire Protection Plan 52 <br />The Closest Forces Concept <br />When an unwanted wildland fire (wildfire) is <br />discovered in Kittitas County, a fire response <br />crew from a local fire response jurisdiction, a <br />USFS ranger district, BLM and/or DNR fire <br />unit may respond, depending on its location. <br />Local Dispatch KITTCOM and the Northwest <br />lnteragency Coordination Center use the <br />"closest forces" concept in wildland fire <br />dispatch. <br />This allows for the closest suppression <br />resource to be sent, regardless of boundaries <br />or jurisdictional responsibilities. This <br />arrangement is particularly helpful at either <br />end of the federally recognized fire season <br />(typically mid-June through mid-September). <br />When wildfires start early, as they did in 2000 <br />(the first wildfire occurred on March 15), <br />federal fire crews are not yet employed so it <br />is the community-based firefighter who is <br />often first on scene. <br />Through pre-established mutual aid <br />agreements, fire suppression resources in <br />Kittitas County are authorized to leave their <br />jurisdictional boundaries to aid a requesting <br />agency partner. In addition, Washington <br />statute allows these resources to assist <br />throughout the state when needed/possible. <br />Mutual aid agreements are also used <br />between most Kittitas County agencies <br />sharing boundaries. These agreements are <br />triggered by verbal request, typically at the <br />time of first dispatch. <br />September 2018