Spokane County Emergency Management holds event to give public resources following Upriver Fire

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — About a dozen local organizations will be at the Pasadena Park Church of the Nazarene this weekend, answering a wide variety of questions, like how to clean up after this week’s fire and how to prevent the next one.

“Folks can come and learn about how to do that home hardening, how do I protect my property and make better decisions on what materials I am using on my property.” said Chandra Fox, Deputy Director of Spokane County Emergency Management.

Officials with the county hope that the resources provided can take one item off of the plate of those who are recovering after this week’s fire.

“This provides a one stop shop so that people can come in, they can talk to the agency they need to talk to, get their questions answered, and hopefully leave feeling a little better about their way forward.” said Fox.

At the weekend long event, organizations are not only looking to assist those directly affected by the fires, but everyone in the community, including kids.

“This is traumatic for kids; we want to make sure that we take care of people of all ages.” said Matthew Vinci, Spokane Fire District 9 Chief.

Despite still actively working to fight the still burning fire, members of Spokane Fire District 9 recognize the importance of community outreach after a disaster like this.

“Its personal for us. We want to make sure that they have everything that they need and make sure that they know that we are there for them when they are going through this tough time and for many days to come.” continued Vinci.

The Fire Department hopes that if people take away anything from the event, its that the easiest way to survive a disaster, is to listen.

“You gotta know when to go. When those evacuation alerts come out, this fire showed us, and many other fires have demonstrated, when we evacuate, you’ve got to get out.” said Vinci.

The event will continue to run Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm.