For release: December 21, 2012
Contact: Richard Parrish (509) 536-1200
Release No: OR130-FY2013-0004
Douglas County Plans to Assess Wildfire Risk
Spokane, WA – Working in conjunction with Douglas County, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has launched
the process of developing a county-level wildland fire risk assessment. Local agencies and organizations in Douglas
County have initiated a planning committee to complete the risk assessment as the first step in the ultimate
development of a Douglas County Wildfire Protection Plan as part of the National Fire Plan and Healthy Forests
Restoration Act. The Douglas County Wildland Fire Risk Assessment will include risk analyses with predictive
models indicating where fires are likely to ignite and how they may impact local communities and the environment.
Northwest Management, Inc. has been retained by the BLM to facilitate meetings, conduct field inspections and
interviews, develop vulnerability assessments, and collaborate with the committee to delineate mitigation projects.
The planning committee includes representatives from local fire districts, Douglas County, State of Washington
Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, BLM, and others.
The intention of the project is to conduct an assessment of wildland fire risk in Douglas County and the local
communities, then make mitigation recommendations that will not only help prevent wildfire ignitions from
occurring, but will also guide decision-makers towards creating a more fire-resistant Douglas County and provide for
public wildfire education. Some of the goals of this project are to improve awareness of wildland fire issues locally,
identify high fire risk areas and develop strategies to reduce this risk, and improve accessibility of funding assistance
to achieve these goals.
The planning committee will be conducting public meetings to discuss preliminary findings and to seek public
involvement in the planning process in the spring of 2013. A notice of the dates and locations of these meetings will
be posted in local news outlets and on the BLM’s website. For more information on the Douglas County Wildland
Fire Risk Assessment, or if you’re interested in participating on the planning committee, please contact Brad Tucker,
Northwest Management, Inc., at (208) 883-4488 ext 123 or Richard Parrish, Bureau of Land Management, at (509)
536-1226.
Additional information about the BLM Spokane District is available online at:
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/spokane/index.php
-BLMThe BLM manages more land – 245 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of
Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers
700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and
productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing
such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical,
cultural, and other resources on public lands.