Bipartisan Bill Aims To Improve Wildfire Smoke Forecasts & Monitoring

OLYMPIA, WA — A public hearing is scheduled Wednesday for new bipartisan legislation designed to expand wildfire prevention efforts in Western Washington.

The "Cascading Impacts of Wildfire" bill would secure nearly $13 million for the Department of Natural Resources to grow its "Wildfire Ready Neighbors" initiative from Eastern Washington into several high-risk counties on the west side of the Cascades.

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz proposed the legislation, citing the growing frequency of wildfires in Western Washington, including two last year that degraded air quality in some areas for weeks.

"Last year’s Bolt Creek and Goat Rocks fires were a stark reminder that no part of our state is immune from wildfire risk or the devastating health impacts of wildfire smoke," Franz said in a statement. "For days, smoke choked our lungs, forced our kids inside, and threatened the health of at-risk populations. While we continue to make progress in reducing the threat of wildfire, we must also prioritize how we mitigate and prepare for the impacts of wildfire and smoke. We must take steps to reduce the impacts of wildfire to our homes and communities, on both sides of the state."

The new legislation includes detailed plans to help communities prepare for wildfire smoke and other impacts and would create a new statewide "smoke monitoring and predictive services" team. The bills also authorize DNR to install mobile air quality monitoring stations and run simulation models to support better real-time data and smoke forecasts.

The popular Wildfire Ready Neighbors program would extend to eight Western Washington counties, including making permanent three pilot programs already underway in Pierce, Thurston and Mason counties. The initiative helps neighbors take specific steps to make their homes better prepared for wildfires.

Both versions of the bill received their first readings in late January, and the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources is scheduled to host a hearing on the legislation Wednesday morning.