By Gordon Williams The changing season in Washington state means that milder, drier days are just ahead. It also means it’s time to renew your defenses against the coming wildfire season. The state saw over 1,600 wildfires in 2021, which burned more than 675,000 acres. There is no reason to think the 2022 fire season … Continue reading Safeguarding your home from Wildfire Season
Next Generation Emergency Response Vehicle Brings Boost to Red Cross Disaster Response
By Jennifer Astion This summer, the Greater Inland Northwest Chapter of the Red Cross will be reaching out to the community with a new Emergency Response Vehicle built specifically for disaster relief missions. Thanks to the generous support of individual donations and a $50,000 gift from BNSF Railway, the chapter will use the new vehicle … Continue reading Next Generation Emergency Response Vehicle Brings Boost to Red Cross Disaster Response
HOW TO JOIN THE ALL-OUT WAR ON WILDFIRES
By Gordon Williams There is a broad-based campaign underway to reduce the peril of wildfires and you are most cordially invited to take part in it. Leading the drive are the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the U.S. Forest Service, the National Fire Protection Assn (NFPA) and the American Red Cross. Goal … Continue reading HOW TO JOIN THE ALL-OUT WAR ON WILDFIRES
Prepare now for this year’s threatening wildfire season
A hillside on fire as seen from Brewster, WA, September 2020 By Gordon Williams In most years, wildfires don’t become a serious threat in Washington until mid-summer when the days heat up and vegetation dries out. Things seem to be going a different way in 2021, with fires coming much earlier and much more frequently … Continue reading Prepare now for this year’s threatening wildfire season
How the Red Cross managed a wicked wildfire season
By Gordon Williams We’re barely into Spring, but the American Red Cross is already looking ahead to a summer wildfire season that could be as bad as the record-setting season that scorched Washington in 2020. Between an unprecedented number of fires and the strictures imposed by Covid-19, the 2020 wildfire season stressed Red Cross resources … Continue reading How the Red Cross managed a wicked wildfire season
Staying Safe in a Threatening Wildfire Season
July 25, 2018. Redding, California. Wildfires. Photo by Kris Warner/American Red Cross By Gordon Williams The images on television are horrific — pictures of wildfires burning out of control in California, Oregon and Eastern Washington. Since wildfire season is likely to last until the soaking rains of autumn, it’s essential you know how to stay … Continue reading Staying Safe in a Threatening Wildfire Season
How COVID-19 is adding to the region’s wildfire worries
By Gordon Williams The COVID-19 virus has sickened and killed people, shut down schools and businesses, and put millions of Americans out of work. And now, on top of all that, the pandemic is threatening to hamper Washington state's ability to fight wildfires. What makes that especially worrisome is that the dry weather we have … Continue reading How COVID-19 is adding to the region’s wildfire worries
Use quarantine time to safeguard your home from wildfires
By Gordon Williams The coronavirus has our full attention now, but rising temperatures and dwindling rainfall send a clear warning that the 2020 wildfire season is on the way. While it lasts, one million or more Washington homes will be at risk from fire — homes where wildlands and human development come together. Fortunately, there … Continue reading Use quarantine time to safeguard your home from wildfires
Where the “Wild” fits into WA Wildfire Risk
By Gordon Williams Photo: a homeowner talks with Red Cross volunteers during Washington's Wildfire season of 2015 Making predictions is always chancy, since events seldom play out exactly as you think they will. But here is a prediction that is likely to be 100 percent on the money: Demands on Red Cross resources — human … Continue reading Where the “Wild” fits into WA Wildfire Risk
What you can do to prevent wildfires
By Gordon Williams A firecracker, tossed by a 15-year old boy, started the fire that ravaged the Columbia River Gorge in the spring of 2018--burning for three months and scorching 50,000 acres. At almost the same time, a trash fire, near Yakima WA, not properly extinguished, burned 15 acres and damaged a building. Taken together, … Continue reading What you can do to prevent wildfires
American Red Cross NW Region 