SPOKANE COUNTY, WASH. — Spokane County firefighters are calling in additional staffing ahead of critical fire weather conditions. High temperatures, low humidity and strong winds are expected to sweep across the region.
Fire districts face difficult choices when managing personnel and equipment during high-alert periods. As the wildfire season progresses, fire leaders must balance maintaining adequate staffing locally while sending crews to help fight fires in other communities.
Dan Cecil, assistant chief of operations for Spokane County Fire District 9, said resources are stretched across multiple incidents.
“Those resources that we might have available to us today in the Spokane area, they may not be available in September because they’re either somewhere else in other fires,” Cecil said.
Large incidents like the Upriver Fire in June show how quickly local resources can be depleted. During these major events, support from state agencies helps local fire districts maintain their capacity to respond to emergencies in their own communities.
“Without that, we certainly couldn’t do the work that we do for the extended period of time that we do it on these larger incidents,” Cecil said.
With wildfire season potentially lasting several more months in the Inland Northwest, Cecil said protecting firefighter welfare is critical.
“The wellness and safety of our personnel is number one. And so, you know we’ve got a long season to go,” Cecil said.
When more funding is devoted to fighting active wildfires, other critical maintenance tasks can be delayed. Engine maintenance and gear replacement may be postponed during peak fire season.
Chief Pete Holley with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue said his agency constantly evaluates these competing needs while working within budget constraints.
“Do we have enough brush trucks? Do we have enough tenders? Do we how do we address the wildland urban interface? It’s something that we’re always paying attention to and we’re always balancing that against a budget cap and something that’s that’s relatively out of our control,” Holley said.
Despite these challenges, both fire agencies assured the public that their personnel remain their most valuable resource and are prepared to respond.
“We’re ready whether it’s April or August,” Holley said.
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