Celebrate Wildfire Awareness Month by signing up for Wildfire Ready Neighbors

OLYMPIA - This May, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz encourages Washington residents to smell the spring flowers, appreciate the re-emerging sunshine, and take steps to make homes more resilient to wildfire.

Gov. Jay Inslee has proclaimed May 2023 as Wildfire Awareness Month, noting that Washington residents all share the responsibility to prevent and prepare for wildfires.

“At DNR, we often say that no one is immune from the effects of wildfires,” said Franz, who leads DNR. “But even the simplest measures, such as cleaning up pine needles and dry leaves, or moving firewood 30 feet away from your home, can make your home more resilient to the growing threat of wildfire.”

This spring, DNR’s Wildfire Ready Neighbors program has expanded to Mason, Thurston, and Pierce counties in Western Washington in addition to the six active Eastern Washington counties – Okanogan, Chelan, Spokane, Yakima, Kittitas, and Klickitat.

Residents throughout the state can go to wildfireready.com to sign up to get a free Wildfire Ready Plan to help make their property more resilient to wildfire. Residents in the nine counties listed above can also sign up for a free Wildfire Ready Home Visit from a wildfire professional who can give personalized advice and recommendations about wildfire preparedness.

“Wherever you live in Washington, Wildfire Awareness Month and National Community Wildfire Preparedness Day is an excellent time for communities to work together to take simple actions to protect themselves from the threat of wildfire,” Franz said.