>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK. FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, A
LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE
WILDFIRE STARTS IN WASHINGTON
ARE HAPPENING ON THE WETTER
SIDE OF OUR STATE.
THE WEST SIDE.
AND IN THE EXTREME, THIS PAST
MARCH, WHICH IS WINTER AROUND
HERE, SAW MORE THAN 50 FIRES.
ALL BUT A FEW ON THE WEST SIDE.
AND THAT'S LEADING TO A LOT OF
CONCERN FOR FIREFIGHTERS HERE.
>>
>> YET,
>> YET, IT SEEMS MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT BIG FIRES DON'T
HAPPEN HERE.
HAPPEN HERE. THEY ACTUALLY DO.
THIS WEEK KING 5'S GLENN FARLEY
EXAMINING THE SCIENCE AND THE
PREPARATION HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
FOR WHAT'S EXPECTED.
GLENN?
GLENN?
GLENN? >>
GLENN? >> SO LET'S TAKE OUR CURRENT
SITUATION.
SITUATION. JULY, PRETTY BIG FIRE MONTH ALL
AROUND.
AROUND.
AROUND. WE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF WETNESS
HERE GOING.
HERE GOING. THAT TAMPED THINGS DOWN A
LITTLE BIT.
LITTLE BIT. THIS WEEKEND, WE CAN PROBABLY
EXPECT THINGS TO PICK UP.
I'LL START THE PROJECT BY
TAKING YOU TO THE OLYMPIC
PENINSULA WHERE A FIRE CHIEF IS
RALLYING HIS COMMUNITY AND
GETTING THEM READY FOR THE
KINDS OF FIRES HE ONCE FOUGHT
ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE
STATE.
STATE.
STATE. AS
STATE. AS WE'RE REMINDED WHAT FIRE
SEASON ALSO DID TO OUR FRIENDS
IN CALIFORNIA.
IN CALIFORNIA. >> REPORTER: THERE ARE TWO
PRIMARY COLORS IN JEFFERSON
COUNTY.
COUNTY.
COUNTY. BLUE FOR WATER AND GREEN FOR
FORESTS.
FORESTS.
FORESTS. BLENDED TOGETHER THE COLORS DO
NOT RESULT IN ORANGE FOR FIRE,
BUT FIRE, WILDFIRE, IS A
GROWING CONCERN.
GROWING CONCERN. >> THE RISK IS REAL.
JUST BECAUSE WE'RE NOT IN
EASTERN WASHINGTON, THE RISK IS
ABSOLUTELY HERE.
ABSOLUTELY HERE. >> REPORTER: JIM IS CHIEF OF
JEFFERSON FIRE AND RESCUE.
>> I GREW UP ON BAINBRIDGE
ISLAND SPECIFICALLY AND HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO WORK FOR A
COUPLE OF FIRE DEPARTMENTS ON
THE WEST SIDE, AND IN 2014 I
HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO
SPOKANE.
SPOKANE.
SPOKANE. >> REPORTER: AND IT WAS AT
SPOKANE FIRE DISTRICT 9 WHERE
HE RECEIVED HIS BAPTISM IN
WILDLAND FIRE AND WOULD ALSO
JOIN A TYPE 3 WILDLAND FIRE
FIGHTING TEAM.
FIGHTING TEAM. >> 5 TO 6 MONTHS OUT OF THE
YEAR THE ORGANIZATIONS FOCUS ON
WILDFIRE.
WILDFIRE.
WILDFIRE. >> REPORTER: JEFFERSON COUNTY
BEGINS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
HOOD CANAL AND EXTENDS ACROSS
THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS TO THE
PACIFIC OCEAN.
PACIFIC OCEAN. IT'S SEEN FIRES BEFORE,
INCLUDING ONE IN 2015 THAT
WASN'T CONSIDERED OUT UNTIL THE
SNOWS CAME.
SNOWS CAME. THIS OLD PHOTO SHOWS A FIRE
FIGHTING TRUCK FROM THE 1930s
FILLING UP WITH WATER IN THE
OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST.
JUST BELOW IS WHAT REMAINS OF
AN OLD FIRE SCAR.
HISTORICALLY WILDFIRE HAS
TOUCHED THE WEST SIDE BEFORE,
AND JIM AND OTHERS FEAR HISTORY
COULD COME ROARING BACK.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON.
WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY TAKING
THEIR AFTERNOON.
THEIR AFTERNOON. >> REPORTER: HIS FRONT LINE IN
THIS FIRE FIGHT STARTS INDOORS
WITH COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND HE
REACHES BACK TO HIS DAYS SPENT
IN SPOKANE COUNTY.
>> THEN THE FIRE IS MOVING UP
ACROSS THE GRASS AND WENT FROM
HOME TO HOME TO HOME, AND WE
WERE PURPOSEFULLY BURNING THE
FIRE AROUND THE HOUSES TO GET
IT TO A POINT WHERE IT WOULD
STOP BURNING.
STOP BURNING. >> REPORTER: HE'S SEEN HOMES
SAVED BECAUSE THEIR OWNERS
PUSHED THE FOREST BACK A SAFE
DISTANCE AWAY FROM THEIR
STRUCTURES.
STRUCTURES. >> IT GAVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO
DEAL WITH FUELS WHERE WE COULD
WIN.
WIN.
WIN. >>
WIN. >> REPORTER: BECAUSE ALL THAT
GREEN CAN IN THE WORDS OF A
FIREFIGHTER, BECOME FUEL.
>>
>> I
>> I SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE IN SEATTLE, SO THIS IS A PROBLEM I
NEVER EVEN THOUGHT OF UNTIL I
MOVED TO PORT TOWNSEND AND I
HAVE TREES EVERYWHERE.
>> REPORTER: PERCEPTIONS ARE
CHANGING, AND WHILE THE WEST
SIDE HAS SEEN MASSIVE FIRES
HISTORICALLY, THEY'RE
HISTORICALLY, THEY'RE INFREQUENT, AND IT'S EASY FOR
OUR LONG RAINY SEASONS TO WASH
AWAY THE PICTURES FROM MEMORY.
>> I'M ONE OF THE BLOCK
CAPTAINS.
CAPTAINS.
CAPTAINS. >> REPORTER: AND EVEN FOR
RELATIVE NEWCOMERS LIKE DEE WHO
RETIRED HERE FROM FIRE-PRONE
UTAH.
UTAH.
UTAH. >>
UTAH. >> YOU KNOW, WE WERE SURPRISED
THAT THE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
IN PORT TOWNSEND IS ABOUT
19 INCHES, WHICH IS WHAT LA
GETS.
GETS.
GETS. >>
GETS. >> REPORTER: LOS ANGELES AND
MUCH OF CALIFORNIA HAS LONG
BEEN FIRE COUNTRY.
BUT THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE
SEEN FIRES ON A HISTORIC SCALE.
HUNDREDS OF LIVES LOST,
THOUSANDS OF HOMES BURNED.
NEARLY THE ENTIRE TOWN OF
PARADISE TORCHED AWAY.
>> ENGINE 1-1 WAS DEPLOYED TO
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
>> REPORTER: LAST SEASON 4
FIREFIGHTERS FROM EAST
JEFFERSON WERE DEPLOYED ABOARD
THIS ENGINE TO PROTECT HOMES.
THE FIRES THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO
HAVE FAMILIAR NAMES.
THE CAMP FIRE, THE WELLESLY
FIRE, FIRES THAT COST LIVES.
THEY BROUGHT BACK HOME WHAT
THEY LEARNED.
THEY LEARNED. >> THERE'S A COROLLARY BACK TO
WESTERN WHINGTON IN REGARDS
TO FUEL AND TOPOGRAPHY.
>> REPORTER: MANY OF THEM
RECEIVE WILDLAND FIRE TRAINING
AS THEY DID THIS JUNE.
THEY HAVE NOT ONE, BUT FOUR
BRUSH TRUCKS DESIGNED FOR
WILDLAND FIRE.
WILDLAND FIRE. AND A NETWORK OF WEATHER
STATIONS TRACK MICROCLIMATES.
DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTY
THAT CAN SEE WIDE VARIATIONS IN
WEATHER.
WEATHER.
WEATHER. >> I WAS ACTUALLY DOWN THERE
FOR THE BIG OAKLAND FIRE IN
1991, AND THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE.
>> REPORTER: AND MORE RESIDENTS
LIKE DEBORAH OLSON ARE TAKING
STEPS TOWARDS PREPARATION.
>> THE LAST FEW YEARS I'VE BEEN
THINKING ABOUT IT AGAIN,
THINKING ABOUT THE STUFF IN
CALIFORNIA, WATCHING ALL THAT,
AND SAYING HMM, TIME TO GIVE IT
A THOUGHT.
>>
>> YES,
>> YES, IT IS. NOW DEAN NORLAND, THE WOMAN
FROM UTAH, SHE TOLD ME WHEN HER
AND HER HUSBAND WERE LOOKING
FOR A PLACE TO RETIRE, THEY
ALSO LOOKED AT, WAIT FOR IT,
PARADISE, CALIFORNIA.
PARADISE, CALIFORNIA. AGAIN THE TOWN VIRTUALLY WIPED
OUT IN LAST YEAR'S FIRES.
AND OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS
ALSO ARE PARTICIPATING IN FIRE
TRAINING.
TRAINING.
TRAINING. >> IT'S REALLY AN EYE OPENER.
GLENN, THE CHIEF TALKED ABOUT
PREPARATIONS ABOUT OUR HOMES.
>> YES, WEDNESDAY WE'LL TAKE
YOU TO A HUGE COMMUNITY IN
REDMOND THAT HAS THIS DOWN.
THEY'RE WORKING TOWARD
PROTECTING THEIR HOMES BY
CUTTING BACK BRUSH AND
EVERYTHING ELSE.
EVERYTHING ELSE. WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION
AVAILABLE TO YOU.
BY TOMORROW WE'RE ALSO GOING TO
LOOK AT THE SCIENCE OF THIS AND
HOW OFTEN THESE FIRES CAN