Wildfires
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Use these resources to help protect your home and family in the event of a wildfire that threatens our community.
Make a Wildfire Emergency Plan
- Make an emergency plan, stay informed, know your evacuation routes, and build an emergency kit.
- Make sure everyone in your household knows what to do in case of wildfire and the need to quickly evacuate. See Evacuation and Ready.gov/evacuation for more information.
- Make sure your insurance policies and personal documents, such as ID, are up to date. Make copies and keep them in a secure password-protected digital space.
Prevent Wildfire
Know when it is okay to burn outdoors. For burn bans and weather conditions see:
"Wildfire is an unavoidable part of the life and landscape of Mt. Adams Country. The question is: when, not if."
Prepare for Wildfire
- Install a 4” blue reflective address sign by your driveway to help emergency personnel locate your home. Contact the Trout Lake Volunteer Fire Department, 509-366-8418, for a free sign.
- Create a defensible space – a buffer between your home and the surrounding grasses, trees, and wildlands – to slow the spread of wildfire and create a safe space for firefighters to defend your home. See the map below.
- Make sure your driveway and its entrance are wide enough for fire trucks to enter and there is space where they can turn around.
- Request a free Home Assessment to identify wildfire risks on and around your home from Mt. Adams Resource Stewards, 509-637-3701. To learn more about this and other resources from Mt. Adams Resources, download their free Wildfire Risk Mitigation Guide.
- Sign up for a Forest Health Evaluation from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, 509-638-3118, WildFireReady.com.
- For detailed information on creating a defensible space see Firewise USA and ReadyForWildfire.org.
About F.A.C.T.
Fire Adapted Community of Trout Lake (FACT) strives to raise awareness and increase knowledge about wildfire risk and preparedness, and guide the community to become resilient to wildfire.
FACT is a community group with representation from the Trout Lake Fire Department, Mt. Adams Resource Stewards (MARS), Trout Lake Community Council, and other concerned citizens. FACT partners with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA Department of Natural Resources, and Underwood Conservation District.
If you would like to get involved or learn more contact: FireAdapted@MtAdamsStewards.org
MARS Wildfire Risk Mitigation Guide
Mt. Adams Resource Stewards (MARS) has prepared a comprehensive Wildfire Risk Mitigation Guide for Trout Lake.
The guide includes helpful information for:
- Wildfire Risk Assessment
- Local Contractors
- Home Hardening
- Emergency Preparedness
- Financial Assistance, and
- Additional Resources
Download the guide and learn more about MARS and their important work.
Creating a Defensible Space
Immediate Zone (0-5 ft)
Install noncombustible ground cover. Use fire-resistant or noncombustible materials for decks, porches, railings, or fences attached to buildings.
Intermediate Zone (5-30 ft)
Plant trees no closer than 30 feet to the home. Space tree crowns 18 feet apart or further on slopes. Trim branches up to 6 to 10 feet from ground and at least 10 feet from structures.
Extended Zone (30-100 ft)
Remove vegetation next to outbuildings. For trees 30 to 60 ft from the home, space so mature canopies are at least 12 feet apart; for 60 to 100 feet from home, space so tree canopies are at least 6 feet apart.
The Trout Lake Emergency Handbook is a project of the Trout Lake Community Council, produced and published by TroutLake.org.