How will COVID-19 impact wildfire response?

How will COVID-19 impact wildfire response?

Answers and resources are short in short supply right now, but fire academies are still planned.

Amid the Washington COVID-19 outbreak, the state’s wildfire firefighting agencies are quietly gearing up for a season that could be anything but normal.

As of early afternoon on March 18, there were more than 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state, and 52 deaths. King County officials are expecting peak hospital demand to come within eight weeks, but the outbreak could continue until a vaccine is developed, which could take months.

This presents a host of problems for wildfire response, said Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) commissioner Hilary Franz. The state will have to figure out how to keep firefighters from getting infected, how to secure enough incident management teams and rethink the way it attacks fires.

“This is not something we’ve experienced before, right, where we couldn’t have firefighters in close quarters,” she said.

Fire camps ordinarily house 1,000 firefighters in tents. But with the outbreak, and recommendations to keep people six feet apart, DNR officials have to rethink how they structure fire response. There’s nothing solid yet, but Franz said her department was starting to talk about what this fire season’s response could look like.

One potential way is to increase the use of helicopters for fire response. This could help keep the number of on-the-ground firefighters down. But aircraft are expensive and in high demand during fire seasons. The DNR currently operates 10 UH-1H helicopters, which are modified with water and fire suppressant capabilities.

If the number of firefighters is limited, either because of an outbreak in the ranks or due to a drop in volunteers, more aircraft might be needed. The DNR’s 1,500-member agency is already responding to requests for assistance during the outbreak.

Another critical resource are incident management teams. There are 16 national “type 1” incident management teams that can deploy across the nation. These teams handle the most complex and intense emergencies. There are 35 “type 2” teams.

Franz said she was already concerned about shortages of incident management teams as they respond to COVID-19, and during recent wildfire-heavy years, these teams were already stretched.

“We are recognizing that it is going to be hard for us to find that, and we’re starting to put things in place,” she said.

However, details were in short supply. The full fury of fire season is still mid and late summer, but last year, more than 50 fires broke out in March.

The 2019 fire season, however, ultimately proved milder than 2018. Franz is hoping for a repeat of last year.

The current outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center for the Northwest said normal large fire potential is expected across the region through June. Central Washington was drier than normal in February, as was central Oregon. Dry and warm conditions region-wide are likely from April through June.

Training will continue this year, albeit at a reduced level. The first of three wildfire academies will take place in mid-May, said DNR spokesperson Janet Pearce.

Carol Connolly, spokesperson for the Northwest Interagency Coordinating Center, said fire managers across the region are discussing the outbreak and its implications for wildfire season.

“We are just at the very beginning of this,” Connolly said.

Nonessential training in Washington and Oregon has been canceled and more decisions are likely to be made in coming weeks about the agency’s response.

Wildfire Today reported March 17 that several federal fire management agencies were working off a 2010 document outlining how incident management teams should handle infectious diseases.

Competition for resources between states during wildfire season is usually intense, especially during years with widespread fires. Franz said it’s unknown how their firefighting resources will change, how quickly fire season will start, where across the West will see fires and how COVID-19 or natural disasters could impact it.

“The challenge we have right now is every single state is grappling with this issue,” she said. “At this point we are thinking outside of the box.”


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
Man fatally shot by Kent Police had high blood alcohol level

Crime lab test results show 0.27 blood concentration level in August 2024 shooting at apartments

Courtesy Photo, City of Kent
Construction set in Kent for 74th Ave. S. and Willis Street

Crews to install traffic islands, curbing at busy intersection

t
Kent Police Blotter: Jan. 26 to Feb. 6

Incidents include vehicle prowls, carjacking arrest, police pursuits, shots fired

Kentlake High School. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District
Former Kentlake High School teacher pleads guilty to sex charge

Jesse Webb, 46, pleads guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes

t
Kent School Board appoints Teresa Gregory to vacant seat

Gregory selected from among 7 finalists to replace Awale Farah

Karen Keiser. COURTESY PHOTO
Former state Sen. Karen Keiser appointed to state Exchange health board

Health Benefit Exchange formed as part of Affordable Care Act

Crews on the SR 509 Completion Project in south King County install the framework for a new bus stop on SR 516, also known as Kent-Des Moines Road. The SR 509 Completion Project includes new or improved connections to existing transit centers and stops. COURTESY PHOTO, WSDOT
Eastbound SR 516 ramp to I-5 in Kent to close for 4 months

Drivers heading to northbound I-5 will use a temporary left turn lane

Courtesy Photo, King County
Tacoma boy, 17, charged with murder in November 2024 Kent case

Reportedly fired six shots into vehicle that killed 21-year-old SeaTac man on West Hill

t
CW series ‘Police 24/7’ features Kent indecent exposure case

Department also part of future TV episodes after crews responded on calls with police in 2024

t
Kent mobile home park fire displaces 7 people, kills family dog

Cause of accidental fire Feb. 6 in 24400 block of 64th Avenue S. remains under investigation

File Photo
Police arrest man at Kent hotel wanted for Alabama murder

Officers take fugitive into custody Feb. 5 for December 2024 shooting

Courtesy Photo, Kent School District
Seven candidates to interview for Kent School Board vacancy

School Board members scheduled to select replacement at Tuesday night, Feb. 11 special meeting