2015 Washington State Wildfires, Record-Breaking Activity
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The 2015 Washington State wildfires was an example of exemplary effort on every level of disaster response. Although the disaster claimed numerous lives and a massive amount of destruction, the entire disaster management effort was demonstrative of what can be achieved through a Whole Community approach to disaster response. This 45 minute presentation briefly discusses the valiant effort of the brave men and women who succeeded in mitigating this massive threat to the Northwestern United States.
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2015 Washington State Wildfires, Record-Breaking Activity
- 1. Record-Breaking Destruction Record-Breaking Support (Wine Folly, 2015) (EMDb, 2017) Abdur-Raheem As-Siddiq Evolution of Emergency Management
- 2. Wildfires • 93% of Emergency Activity • 78% of those in Washington • Okanogan Complex (Largest) • 39 Counties Record-Breaking!!! Impact • Environmental • Tribal Economics • Agricultural • Tourism (Neff, 2015)
- 3. • More than 1M acres burned • 2.6M acres require restoration • 123 homes destroyed Macro view (Peralta, 2018) (Bush, 2015) (Elliott, 2017)
- 4. • Ozone precursor particulates • Solar radiation • Clouds • Climate • Rain Air Quality • Water nutrients • Sulfate • pH • Carbon • Boil Water Orders Watershed (Jiminez, 2017) (Martin, 2016)
- 5. • Timber 20% Revenue • $1M loss by tribe • Communications disruption Tribal Nations (Martinell(b), 2017) (Mason County Blog, 2012)
- 6. • 7.7M acres impacted • 3x more than previous year • Apples, cherries, and pears • Store houses destroyed Acres & Produce • $700M annually • Grazing lands destroyed • Cattle burned • Cattle sold for protection Livestock (endacademic.com, n.d.) (Zielinski, 2014)
- 7. • Attracts international visitors • $22.5B in 2011 & 2012 • $1.6B annual tax revenue • Hunting, Fishing, wildlife (Moe, 2016) Robust Industry • Scaring tourists away • Grey skies • Thick smoke • Air pollution Impact (Griggs et al, 2017)
- 8. • Emergency Support Function #4 • Logistical Support • Intelligence • State Emergency Operations Center Geographical Area Coordination Center (GACC) • Oregon • Washington Mission
- 9. • Department of Natural Resources (DNR) • United States Fire Service • Local Fire Districts • County Sheriffs Unified Command (NWIMT.org, 2016)
- 10. • Intelligence • Geographical Information Systems • Information Technology • Media 14 ESFs • 41-days activation • 56,000 resource orders • Maintain 3 data networks • 124 fires x 1.7M acres • ICS-209 for 100 large fires Highlights (EMDc, 2016
- 11. • Department of Commerce • Department of Interior • Department of Agriculture • DNR • State Fire Marshal Agencies • Bureau of Land Management • DNR • U.S. Forest Service • 3-Conservation Districts • FEMA Whole Community (Project Wildfire, 2016)
- 12. • Record-breaking in all aspects • Involvement of every IMT in the nation • IMT staffing incidents in the field for 106 days • 30% increase in resource orders • First time for unified command • WAFAC and the Whole Community
- 13. Alberta WaterPortal. (2013). How wildfires impact a watershed. Retrieved from https://albertawater.com/how-wildfires-impact-a- watershed As-Siddiq, A. (2018). The national response plan and the national response framework. Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Al. Bush, E. (2015, August 29). Wildfires in Washington: The latest updates. Retrieved from https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle- news/wildfires-in-washington-the-latest-updates/ Dent, T. (2015). Wildfire in Washington. Retrieved from http://www.wfpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/dent-report-1-21-201.pdf Elliott, D. (2017, September 8). This US wildfire season is among the worst: Here's why. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2017-09- wildfire-season-worst.html EMDa. (2016, June). Washington state comprehensive emergency management plan. Washington Military Department, Olympia, Wa. EMDb. (2017). About the emergency operations center. Retrieved from https://www.mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division/emd- about-us EMDc. (2017). About the emergency operations center. Retrieved from https://www.mil.wa.gov/other-links/web-eoc Endacademic.com. (n.d.). Wildfire. Retrieved from http://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/35643
- 14. FEMA. (2015, August 15). FEMA provides federal funds to help fight Okanogan County Complex Fire Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2015/08/15/fema-provides-federal-funds-help-fight-okanogan-county-complex-fire Griggs, T., Lai, K., Ashkenas, J., & Patel, J. (2017, September). As wildfires burn in west, ash rides wind across U.S. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/09/16/us/wildfires-smoke-pacific-northwest.html Grossman, E. (2015, August 13). Northwest farms hit hard by wildfires. Retrieved from https://civileats.com/2015/08/31/northwest- farms-hit-hard-by-wildfires/ Howard, C. (2015, September 12). Okanogan complex fire now 132,682 acres; 85% contained. Retrieved from http://www.khq.com/story/29834926/okanogan-complex-fire-now-132682-acres-85-contained Inslee, J. (2015, October 7). Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act letter to President Barack Obama. Retrieved from http://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2015WildfireDeclarationCoverLetter.pdf Jiminez, E. (2017, August 3). Air quality from wildfires impacts Yakima valley residents. Retrieved from http://nwnewsnetwork.org/post/air-quality-wildfires-impacts-yakima-valley-residents Lacitis, E. (2015, August 31). As fires raged, tourists have disappeared in Winthrop. Retrieved from https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/as-fires-rage-around-them-tourists-have-disappeared-in-winthrop/
- 15. Martin, A. (2016, March). How do wildfires affect water quality? Retrieved from http://www.walpa.org/waterline/march-2016/how-do- wildfires-affect-water-quality/ Martinell(a), TJ. (2016, July 12). Wildfires can also scorch tourism, but Washington communities are battling back. Retrieved from http://thelens.news/2016/07/12/wildfires-can-also-scorch-tourism-but-washington-communities-are-battling-back/ Martinell(b), TJ. (2017, February 16). Logging the road to rural economic recovery. Retrieved from http://thelens.news/2017/02/16/logging-the-road-to-rural-economic-recovery/ Moe, M. (2016, October 11). Washington state tourism summit – postponed. Retrieved from https://wahospitality.org/blog/washington- state-tourism-summit/ Neff, L. (2015, September 12). Pets and wildlife among the casualties of wildfires. Retrieved from http://www.wisconsingazette.com/lifestyle/pets-and-wildlife-among-the-casualties-of-wildfires/article_fee4d9f0-1010-52c6-a743- 637cdea0aa2f.html NOAA. (n.d.). The impact of wildfires on climate and air quality. Retrieved from https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/csd/factsheets/csdWildfiresFIREX.pdf Mason County Blog. (2012, April 24). Honoring Washington’s Native Americans. Retrieved from http://amicuscuria.com/wordpress/?p=5499
- 16. NWCC. (2016, March 2). 2015 Northwest annual fire report. Retrieved from https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/content/pdfs/archives/2015_NWCC_Annual_Fire_Report.pdf NWIMT.org. (2016). Deployments. Retrieved from http://www.nwimt.org/deployments Peralta, J. (2018, February 8). Wildland restoration efforts intensify after recent canyon fires. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-wknd-et-goats-20180209-story.html Project Wildfire. (2016, January 25). New fire adapted communities network website. Retrieved from http://projectwildfireoregon.blogspot.com/2016/01/new-fire-adapted-communities-network.html Wine Folly. (2015, August 26). 2015 Washington wines: ruined by wildfires? Retrieved from https://winefolly.com/update/2015- washington-wines-ruined-by-smoke-wildfires/ WMD. (2016, April 13). Washington military department annual report 2015. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/wanationalguard/docs/2015_annual_report Zielinski, S. (2014, July 22). What do wild animals do in a wildfire? Retrieved from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140721-animals-wildlife-wildfires-nation-forests-science/#close
Editor's Notes
- In this geographical space, 93% of the total emergency response activity in 2015 was dedicated to wildfires, and the fires in the State of Washington comprised of 78% of those (NWCC, 2016). These fires had far-reaching ramifications on social, environmental, economical, and agricultural sectors. According to an article written for KHQ.com, the Okanogan Complex fires in Washington for the wildfire season of 2015 spanned an astonishing 132,682 acres by themselves (Howard, 2015). From the beginning of 2015 up until September 2015, the entire state saw over 1M acres burned which is more than seven times the 10-yr average (NWCC, 2016). Its devastation prompted the FEMA X Regional Administrator to approve Washington’s request for federal assistance through a Fire Management Assistance Grant on August 15, 2015 (FEMA, 2015).
- The devastating results of wildfire in the Northwest (NW) region of the United States are far-reaching and touch every aspect of living from destruction of homes to human health (Dent, 2015). In 2015, the State of Washington faced the need to have approximately 2.6M acres restored in its region alone. As of September 7, 2015, the Okanogan and Chelan Complex fires by themselves destroyed 123 homes.
- These fires caused a severe decline in air quality across the state. Wildfires release a substantial amount of ozone precursor particulates that affect the solar radiation, clouds, and climate in the region where they occur (NOAA). Washington’s Department of Health reported that the air quality there has remained above unhealthy levels for several years because of the wildfire seasons (Dent, 2015). The fires also have a negative impact on the watershed. Wildfires may change the levels of nutrients, sulfate, pH, carbon, iron, and numerous other elements that make our water potable (Alberta WaterPortal, 2013). The significant wildfires in the region caused water wells throughout the state to become contaminated prompting Boil Water Orders (Inslee, 2015).
- Economically, local Native American tribes were impacted as well. The timber revenue makes up approximately 20% of tribal nations’ annual operating budget. With so many acres burned, a calculable $1M in timber was lost to one tribe in particular. A State of Emergency was declared for all 39 counties of the state. The wildfires also caused widespread communication and utilities disruption not only for tribal areas but the entire region that lasted for months which hindered local businesses from opening their doors (Dent, 2015).
- As the 2015 wildfires laid waste to more than of 1M acres of land across the western United States, approximately 7.7M acres of land was directly affected by these fires. That 2015 statistic sums to about three times more than what was recorded for the same point in time the year prior (Grossman, 2015). Washington is known to be the nation’s largest producer and harvester of apples, cherries, and pears. Mr. Mac Riggan, Director of Marketing for Chelan Fresh Markets, reported that the wildfire destroyed approximately 1.8M pounds of produce from their store houses. That equates to about $50M - $80M. Several other growers completely lost their plants when the wildfires engulfed them. (Grossman, 2015). Washington’s Beef Cattle industry brought in approximately $700M of revenue in 2014. At the time Grossman wrote her article, only a small percentage of the burned areas had been assessed, Ranchers were reporting losses and that they are treating their cattle for burned feet and having to load and sell others because there just were no safe places for them (the cattle) to be (Grossman, 2015).
- The state has a robust tourism industry that specializes in outdoor activity. People come from all over the world to experience the picturesque beauty of the wilderness landscape. Based on 2011 and 2012 surveys the hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing brought in a whopping $22.5B in consumer spending and provides for approximately 227,000 jobs. It also provides about $1.6B in annual state and local tax revenue (Martinell, 2016). Unfortunately, as a result of the wildfires, the gray skies that diminish the sunshine and present an ominous aura, along with the thick smoke polluting the air to unhealthy levels scare tourists away. One great example can be seen in the plight of Josh and Kristin Buehler who only purchased their 60-room motel in 2014 as they worked to fulfill their dream. For the summer season of 2015, Josh says that they received approximately 450 cancellations between August 19th and the end of the month. Kristin says that they lost approximately $50K in revenue in just those 12 days (Lacitis, 2015).
- The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) is the Geographic Area Coordination Center (GACC) for incident management in the Northwest Region. NWCC serves as the focal point for interagency resource coordination, logistics support, aviation support and predictive services for all state and federal agencies involved in wildland fire management and suppression (NWCC, 2016).
- Lessons learned prompted a new strategy in incident management for 2015. The 2015 fire season brought about a new level of coordination between the United States Fire Service (USFS), the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and local fire districts. In previous years, the usual command structure placed the county sheriffs as the Incident Commanders which in itself was problematic. As a result, the command structure was changed to reflect a unified command where fire officers managed and directed fire operations. The unified command gave way to interagency agreements and automatic aid agreements that allowed resources to be timely and efficiently dispatched in accordance with the situation and standards on-ground (Dent, 2015).
- The unprecedented local, state, and federal response caused the NWCC to fully activate the SEOC at Level III for 41 days (WMD, 2016). The SEOC activated 14 Emergency Support Functions (ESF) and completed 149 mission requests in support of the local response effort. At its apex, the NWCC processed more than 56,000 resource orders. (NWCC, 2016). Just to name a few accomplishments from the members/sections of the SEOC, the Intelligence Section provided ICS-209 reporting for over 100 large fires, and assisted coordination among 30 tier-3 & 4 dispatch offices amongst other notable accomplishments. The Geographical Information Systems (GIS) compiled and maintained daily perimeters for approximately 124 individual fires for more than 1.7M acres burned across both Oregon and Washington. Information Technology required the use and coordination of three distinct data networks (NWCC, 2016). The Media Section incorporated new techniques and processes that witnessed an exponential growth in local, state, national, and international interaction from responding to media-related requests. They also were quite beneficial in assisting private citizens concerned about fire activity, evacuations, and other worries (NWCC, 2016). Suffice it to say that the Washington State wildfires required a massive amount of interagency preparation and coordination.
- Demonstrating the Whole Community concept, the Washington Fire Adapted Communities (WAFAC) organization brought together individuals from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the DNR, United States Forest Service, 3-Conservation Districts, FEMA, Washington’s Emergency Management Division (EMD), Department of Defense (DOD), the Chumstick Coalition, and the Fire Service to establish a joint effort in responding to, mitigating, and recovering from destruction of the NW wildfires bringing forth an new era of National Response Planning protocols. They formed a steering committee that established and promoted programs and strategies that helped the residents reduce the threat of wildfire by becoming resilient communities. (Dent, 2015)
- The 2015 wildfire season for the Northwest Region of the United States’ onset and aftermath exceeded predictions and was record-breaking in all aspects of emergency and disaster response. called for the involvement of every interagency management team in the nation in some stages. Northwest Multi-Agency Coordination (NW MAC) Support center. It published 53 decisions during those 55 days the Incident Management Teams (IMT) also broke the previous year’s record by staffing incidents in the field for 106 days. The NWCC processed more than 56,000 resource orders which is a 30% increase over 2014’s response (NWCC, 2016) Although there was significant loss in 2015 both in life and property, having fire command officers directing tactics and strategy for fire operations was a positive and effective change. One county fire district in particular, Kittitas County Fire District 7, demonstrated a model example of Whole Community participation and teamwork. WAFAC should be more aggressive in its campaigns and the Washington DNR should use its influence to persuade local jurisdictions to adopt forward-thinking and proactive programs. All-in-all, the response effort was very successful.