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
Preparing for a regional wildfire response
By Gordon Williams Before this year is over, Red Cross teams in Washington and adjacent Idaho will have aided victims of hundreds of disasters big and small — home fires, wildfires, floods, storms and more. It is the responsibility of the Red Cross to make sure each of those teams is fully trained, equipped and … Continue reading Preparing for a regional wildfire response
How to stay safe in a busier-than-normal wildfire season
Spring in the Okanogan, an area of Washington State that has seen repeated years of damage from wildfires. By Gordon Williams As Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz knows a thing or two about wildfires. When she calls the state’s wildfire situation a “crisis” that is “getting worse”, it is a warning worth paying … Continue reading How to stay safe in a busier-than-normal wildfire season
HEART to the Rescue
By Mark Walker Photos by Kathy Brasch As crews battled a 3,000-acre wildfire just a few miles away, Loki and Fanny rested comfortably with their owner, thanks to some kind-hearted volunteers. The two felines were safely tucked away in an emergency human and animal shelter the American Red Cross set up at Kettle Falls High … Continue reading HEART to the Rescue
“Ash is coming down like snowflakes!”
By Gordon Williams When Red Cross volunteer Fran Adams of Olympia WA hears about a disaster—nearby or far away—her first reaction is a desire to rush to the scene to help out. Her first Red Cross deployment to a disaster was nearly 20 years ago, to flooding at Chehalis WA in Lewis County. “I saw people … Continue reading “Ash is coming down like snowflakes!”
Why Rick Isaacson Volunteers and Volunteers and Volunteers
EDITORS NOTE: February 1, 2019This week we learned of the unexpected passing of board member and disaster volunteer Rick Isaacson in Wenatchee. Rick was a truly passionate Red Crosser. He believed wholeheartedly in our mission and worked tirelessly to support every member of our team. He was an entertaining emcee at volunteer appreciation events, the … Continue reading Why Rick Isaacson Volunteers and Volunteers and Volunteers
What You Can Do to Prevent Wildfires
By Gordon Williams One Sunday in late June, a man lit a fire to burn some debris near Yakima WA. The man — not publicly identified — knew the dangers of setting an open fire in wildfire season, so he checked several times to make sure the fire had been extinguished. Even so, according to … Continue reading What You Can Do to Prevent Wildfires
Prepare for More and More Widespread Wildfires
By Gordon Williams Edited by Nancy Waddell Hilary Franz, Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands, sees the outlook for wildfires in the state changing — and not in a good way. “The wildfire season in Washington is starting earlier in the year and going longer,” says Franz, who heads the Department of Natural Resources. And while … Continue reading Prepare for More and More Widespread Wildfires
American Red Cross NW Region 