Clark County fire officials say they’re ready for wildfire season despite chaos at federal, state levels

Local fire officials say they are ready for the upcoming wildfire season that typically runs from June through October, despite potential state and federal cuts.

“I haven’t been made aware of any cuts locally, so I’m not concerned,” said Chief Steve Black of East County Fire and Rescue, which is responsible for firefighting in 60 rural square miles in southeast Clark County. “But, of course, any cuts anywhere could trickle down and affect us.”

He and other local fire chiefs say their agencies have been preparing and training for wildfire season as they do every year.

“On a regular basis, we do annual refresher training for all of our firefighters to deal with wildland firefighting and wildland-urban interface fires,” said Chief Gordon Brooks of Clark County Fire District 10, which covers 84 square miles in rural north county. “We’ve had people participate in wildland mobilization-type fires since 2000.”

Brooks said his agency recently acquired an engine from the U.S. Forest Service thanks to a grant from the state Department of Natural Resources.

“We’re putting it in service for use locally and on mobilization-type fires,” Brooks said.

Black, who joined East County Fire and Rescue in January, said his agency’s firefighters are training, getting their gear in order, ordering new equipment and finalizing response plans.

“We’re in the middle of starting a community risk assessment to look at the areas that could be impacted by various emergencies, but including wildfire, and making sure that we understand what our response is going be to those areas,” Black said.

He said East County Fire and Rescue has also spoken with DNR officials about training together so both agencies understand their roles and expectations. Black said he wants to ensure the fire district has a good working relationship with the state long before they have to respond to a fire.

Recently, DNR leased one of the fire district’s fire stations and may have a hand crew operating from there. Having the state resources available locally should make communication, coordination and training with the state agency easier, Black said.

That doesn’t mean local fire districts aren’t paying attention to what is happening with Forest Service and Department of Natural Resources staffing.

“We’re building up our equipment capabilities and that is in reaction to what is happening on the state and federal level,” Brooks said.

In February, more than 2,000 Forest Service employees — about 10 percent of its total workforce — were fired as part of the Trump administration’s budget cuts. Unions representing the federal employees put the number closer to 3,400.

Many of those employees went back to work last week after a civil service review board reinstated the fired employees.

At the state level, the House and Senate are still working to finalize the 2025-27 biennium budget before the end of the session on April 27. Gov. Bob Ferguson, who still has to approve the budget proposal from the Legislature, previously proposed a mandatory budget cut across all departments that would have included Department of Natural Resources firefighters.

“We’re going to work alongside with them,” Black said.

Responding to a wildfire can require significant coordination between local, state and federal resources, depending on the size and location of the fire. Fires on federal lands, like the Gifford Pinchot National Forest or Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, would fall to U.S. Forest Service staff, with state and local resources assisting as needed.

“For us to go to the larger fires, we have to wait until we get a request from one of the land management agencies. We work through or for either DNR or the state fire marshal’s office,” Brooks said. “What we typically send from Clark County, or sometimes it would be Clark and Cowlitz County working together, is what we call a strike team, which is a group of four or five brush trucks, typically, and a water tender.”

A fire on private property is a different situation. For example, if homeowners burn a brush pile in Amboy and it gets away from them, Brooks said a call to 911 would send the local fire district in response.

“Then, either we would ask the (Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency) dispatcher to also dispatch 911 or we would contact the DNR dispatch center in Castle Rock directly. Over the last few years, we’ve also allowed DNR to monitor and use our radio system,” Brooks said.

If the state has an engine stationed in the area, that enables a quicker response, he said.

With the Legislature still finalizing the two-year budget, it’s hard to say what cuts might be coming, DNR spokeswoman Jessa Lewis said. However, she said, the state is continuing its work to reduce the risk of fires on state lands.

The state is also working to bring its Wildfire Ready Neighbors program to Clark County next year.

“We’re grateful for our strong partnership with the Clark County Conservation District, which serves as the local contact for Firewise USA and is helping to lay the foundation for Clark County’s first Community Wildfire Protection Plan, to hopefully commence in fiscal year 2026,” Lewis said in an email. “This collaborative plan, developed with local citizens and agencies, will address wildfire response, hazard mitigation, preparedness and structure protection to better safeguard the community.”