Wildfires in our Backyards

1. Wildfires in our Backyards Scott J Stanton Fire Chief, Umatilla County Fire District # 1 Operations Chief – Northwest IMT Team 6 (Sheldon)

2. Overview • Case Studies • Eagle Creek Fire • Substation Fire • Lessons Learned • Prevention • Partnerships • Questions

3. Eagle Creek Fire • The fire was reported September 2 at 4 p.m. in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area near the town of Cascade Locks, Oregon. The fire grew to 3,000 acres overnight that first night. During the night of September 4th and 5th, east winds, combined with excessive heat caused the fire rapidly increase in size pushing westward. • By the morning of September 5th, the fire had grown to over 20,000 acres and had spotted across the Columbia River into Washington near Archer Mountain. The efforts of firefighters, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity helped slow fire growth in the days that followed, but the fire grew to the east and ultimately reached 48,861 acres. • Eagle Creek Fire was 100% contained on November 30, 2017.

4. September 3rd • NW IMT Team 6 • Working on State Conflagration Act with local Fire Chief. • OSFM mobilizing resources from around the state. • Cascade Locks under levels of evacuation • Eventually I-84 shut down and Rail traffic.

5. September 4th - Afternoon

6. September 4th • Wind Driven Fire with East Winds. • Lack of resources on the Fed side due to many fires in the region and country. • Aircraft • Availability • Flying conditions • Retardant limitations

7. September 4-5 night operations

8. Fire Summary • 12 hour run went about 13 miles west. • 22 state task forces mobilized • National Type 1 team brought in • Jumped Columbia River with a wind change. • Over 48,000+ acres burned • Human-Caused

9. Aftermath • Mud Slides • Tree Mortality • Freeway Closures • Railway closure • What could we have done to prevent this?

10. Lessons Learned – Eagle Creek Fire • Develop Emergency Evacuation and Public Notification Plans • Enhance public outreach and educational programs • Seismic retrofitting of bridges and infrastructure • Comprehensive shelter planning • Enhance training and drills

11. Sus-Station Fire • The Substation Fire started on private land southeast of The Dalles, Oregon, on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 and grew quickly. Driven by strong winds, the fire moved more than 18 miles in the first burning period and crossed multiple agency jurisdictions.By July 21, winds had tapered, allowing crews to make significant progress on containment. By the evening of July 22, the Substation Fire had covered 78,425 acres, with containment reaching 92%. Command of the incident was transferred from the Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 2 to a local Type 3 management team on the morning of July 23. Fire behavior was minimal, with some smoldering in hotspots along the Deschutes River corridor and in Eight-Mile Canyon.Level 3 evacuations in place and level 1 for the towns of Grass Valley and Moro. • One fatality confirmed

12. July 17-18th

13. August 20

15. Lessons Learned – Sub Station Fire • Needed better coordination between responders and farmers • Improve coordination between the two counties • Pre-season meetings with communities/farmers • Understand local needs and emotions better • Formalize agreements and understandings with agencies and public/Farmers

16. Prevention • Community Wildfire Protection Plans • When was it last evaluated and reviewed? • NFPA’s FireWise programs • Emergency Operations Plans • Reviewed and updated as needed? • U.S. Fire Administration

17. Video • https://youtu.be/Ufi3rFFh1MM

18. Partnerships is KEY • Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) • Keep Oregon Green keeporegongreen.org • NFPA FireWise USA • Office of the State Fire Marshall (OSFM) • US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management • Local Fire Districts and Fire Departments • National Wildfire Coordinating Group www.nwcg.gov • International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) • US Fire Administration - FEMA

19. Questions Thank you