By Jeremy Burnham
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Wildfire season has begun in eastern Washington, and Walla Walla County Fire District No. 4 Chief John Golden said he’s confident that crews are prepared to protect the region.
Golden said federal budget cuts won’t reduce local and state fire staffing.
“We are funded through our taxpayer’s property taxes,” Golden said about his department. “For us personally around here and for our citizens and our taxpayers, we’re fully staffed and ready to respond.”
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For wildfires in Walla Walla County, officials respond in a multiple-step process. The local crews are always the first to respond, assuming the fire is not on federal land; however, Golden said local crews often will respond to those fires, too.
While local crews make the initial efforts, if a fire needs additional support, leadership will work though the Washington State Patrol’s Office of the Fire Marshal, which can send state resources, including Washington Department of Natural Resources crews and state incident management teams.
If the fire is on a national forest, the U.S. Forest Service will also respond.
As state and federal agencies arrive, they will take over operations and give local crews a break.
This process was put to an early test this year with the Vansycle Canyon Fire between Touchet and Wallula Junction.
The fire started about 12:15 a.m. Thursday, June 12, in an area protected by Walla Walla County Fire District No. 6.
District 6 responded first, and asked for more local help, which came from the Walla Walla and College Place fire departments, as well as Walla Walla County districts 4, 5 and 8.
Golden was among the team from District 4 who responded. He said District 6 officials immediately contacted the Office of the Fire Marshal , and a state team of about 80 firefighters arrived that evening.
By Saturday June 14, the fire was 100% contained and command was returned to District 6.
Golden said state resources are ready to respond, as they have been in the past.
“There’s times when resources are stretched pretty thin, but I don’t see this year being any different than we’ve seen in the past,” he said.
Lots of federal agencies have seen budget cuts this year, including the USDA, under which the Forest Service operates.
The Union-Bulletin reached out to the Forest Service, but an unidentified spokesperson refused an interview. The spokesperson did provide a politically charged statement and declined to identify who made the statement.
The statement did say that the department’s hiring freeze did not affect firefighters.
According to data on the USFS website, hiring levels both nationwide and in the Pacific Northwest are comparable to recent years.
Golden said he’s confident the county will get the support it needs from its state and federal partners.
He said the USFS notified the county that it would not have an engine operating out of Walla Walla this year, but that their closest engine would be in Tollgate, Oregon, in Umatilla County. However, Golden stressed that this has happened before and is not uncommon.
“We feel confident that if we have to call them, that they’ll be there in one way, shape or form,” he said.
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