Local News

2013 Fire Season Off to an Early Start…Be Ready: Attend a Firewise Workshop June 1

May 20, 2013

Okanogan Conservation District is coordinating six Firewise workshops throughout the county this summer. The first of these will be in Methow, WA, in partnership with Washington Department of Natural Resources and Okanogan Fire District 15. This Firewise wildfire preparedness workshop will take place on Saturday, June 1, at the Methow Community Center, a.k.a. "the schoolhouse", behind the Methow post office.

From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., local fire managers will discuss ways to prepare one's home and property for wildfire, and how to react when a wildfire is in the area. From 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., there will be an optional field trip to see Firewise techniques being implemented on private property in the Methow/Carlton area. Light refreshments will be provided. Those that plan to stay for the whole workshop should bring a brown bag lunch.

The national Firewise Communities program is an interagency program designed to encourage local solutions for wildfire safety. The program offers simple ways community members can work together to prevent their properties from becoming fuel for a wildfire. Residents can reduce the risk of their home's ignition by simply modifying their homes and immediate surroundings. With adequate planning and cooperation among homeowners, public agencies, and community leaders, wildfires can occur without disastrous loss of life, property, and resources. In Okanogan County, the Firewise program is coordinated by the Okanogan Conservation District in cooperation with Washington Department of Natural Resources.

For more information, visit www.okanogancd.org/firewise