Preparing for Wildfires: Immediate and Long-Term Strategies

<p>Wildfires require action on different timelines: during the crisis, before the next fire season, and over the coming decades.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Climate change is increasing the underlying risk, making evacuation plans, forest management, and emissions reduction part of the response.</p><hr /><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a record-breaking wildfire year, with the traditional fire season still ongoing.</p><p><strong>"Even if not a single other acre or structure burned, we already have the most active fire season in recorded history for the Pacific Northwest,"</strong> stated climate scientist Daniel Swain during an August 18 virtual presentation.</p><ul><li>"Washington and Oregon together are already breaking their historical record for the most area burned in any full wildfire season."</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> Wildfire preparedness operates on different timelines, requiring various actions at each stage.</p><ul><li>During an active fire: Evacuating people, fighting fires, and protecting communities from smoke.</li><li>Before the next fire season: Making homes less vulnerable, reducing nearby fuels, and improving community preparedness and evacuation plans.</li><li>Over the coming decades: Managing forests and mitigating climate change through government action at local, national, and global levels.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> Rapp recommends preparing an evacuation plan in advance, including creating a go-bag and quickly gathering medications and pets.</p><ul><li>This preparation serves as a psychological hedge against panic.</li><li>"To the extent that 'calm, deliberate, rational you' can prepare 'panicked you' for evacuation, you will be more effective," Rapp said.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out:</strong> Preparing for next year's wildfire season involves reducing the vulnerability of homes and communities.</p><ul><li>Simple steps include clearing flammable materials within five feet of homes and ensuring vents do not allow embers inside, according to Matt Weiner, CEO of Megafire Action, a nonprofit focused on reducing wildfire risk.</li><li>Broader community measures include reducing nearby fuels and adopting building and land-use practices designed for wildfire-prone areas.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> When a major wildfire occurs, attention often turns to its cause.</p><ul><li>A man was charged with arson for allegedly starting one of Spokane's most destructive fires on August 1, which destroyed hundreds of homes. Federal prosecutors are also exploring possible charges.</li><li>However, the cause of a fire does not change the preparedness calculus. Hot, dry, and windy conditions influence whether an ignition becomes catastrophic.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> "I have empathy for the complicated web of emotions that occurs when fire is started by different sources," Rapp said. "But there are things that we can do to prepare for a wildfire, no matter what the source is."</p><p><strong>State of play:</strong> The government's role becomes increasingly important over longer planning horizons.</p><ul><li>Policies that cut greenhouse gas emissions can limit future warming, helping to constrain the growth in wildfire risk over decades.</li><li>This year's severe fire season in the Pacific Northwest may add urgency to federal legislation aimed at reducing wildfire severity in the future.</li></ul><p><strong>What we're watching:</strong> The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act aims to reduce wildfire risk by expediting forest management, including thinning and prescribed burns, while enhancing community preparedness and coordination among governments.</p><ul><li>The House passed its version last year, 279-141. A bipartisan Senate version has cleared the Agriculture Committee but has yet to receive a floor vote.</li><li>The legislation has garnered support from various groups, including environmental organizations and the timber industry.</li><li>"This is the first time we've had a really bad fire season where there's actually something big and meaningful that is substantially through the [congressional] process," Weiner said.</li></ul><p><strong>What's next:</strong> If you haven't made the evacuation plan you intended to create after the last wildfire scare, it is advisable to do so before the next one.</p>