A new campaign is making it easier for Washington homeowners to prepare for wildfire season. Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz, launched the "Wildfire Ready Neighbors" campaign on Friday in Spokane County. The initiative connects residents with experts and resources in order to prepare communities for wildfire season.
Spokane, Chelan, and Okanogan are Washington counties identified as high-risk for wildfires.
People living in these counties can register for a free assessment of their home by local experts. Those experts will point out risk factors on their property and create a proactive action plan--all for free. It's a collaborated effort between Washington Department of Natural Resources and community members.
"I believe that every homeowner on the front line of these fires has the ability to take steps to protect their homes., protect their family, protect their neighbors, protect their communities, and maybe most importantly, protect our firefighters," Franz said.
Sandi Bennet knows the importance of preparing a home for wildfires first-hand. In 2020, her family was nearly evacuated during the Blanchard fire.
"It was scary," Bennett said. "I slept in the hammock that night because I wanted to know if the embers were coming."
Bennett's family registered for the free assessment after already taking steps to clear away fire fuel close to their home in Chattaroy.
"We had about an acre and a half cleared, fire thinned," Bennett said. "So we thought we would do pretty good. But we only scored a 65 percent out of 100. Because across the road from us there was 100 acres of trees that have not been thinned."
That just goes to show, even if you think you've eliminated all the risk factors on your property, the assessment may reveal areas still needing attention.
But now she can sleep a bit more soundly this year knowing her family has taken proactive steps to protecting their home.
You can register for the Wildfire Ready Neighbor assessment by visiting, wildfireready.com.