DNR begs Legislature for funds to prep for next year’s wildfires
Oct 30, 2015, 9:14 AM | Updated: 10:05 am
An airplane tanker flies through smoky air as it drops fire retardant on a wildfire that flared up in the late afternoon near Omak. The Department of Natural Resources estimates the total amount spent on this year's wildfires is $164 million. (AP)
(AP)
Washington Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark says fighting this summer’s wildfires came with a hefty price tag and the state Legislature needs to pony up.
“The Evergreen state is in danger of becoming the wildfire state,” Goldmark said in Spokane this week.
With wildfires, like with the drought, phrases like “record-breaking,” “worst in state history,” or “mega-blazes” don’t even shock us anymore. It’s bad and it’s getting worse.
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources estimates the total amount spent on this year’s wildfires is $164 million. With help from other agencies, like the Forest Service and the Federal Bureau of Land Management, it’s $320 million.
To put that into perspective, last year’s price tag was about $99 million. Back in 2007, $63 million was considered a high amount.
Goldmark said the Legislature needs to find a way to get more funding to the state DNR.
“We must confront the reality of a longer, more difficult fire season,” he said. “We need to have more in-state, on-call fire resources … like DNR, like tribal crews. They’re already there and ready and prepared.”
Ultimately, Goldmark is arguing that the Legislature is sacrificing the safety of the public, of firefighters and of public and personal property if they don’t help out.
He’s asking for $24 million to equip and train more in-state firefighters. Last year, in comparison, he asked for $4 million and got about a third of that.
