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Republican candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands Jaime Herrera Beutler, Representative Mary Dye, and Garfield County Commissioner Justin Dixon discussed GCFD's vehicles and their purposes.
Jaime Herrera Beutler is a candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands, a position that has the responsibility of managing Washington State's land.
Jaime Herrera Beutler and Representative Mary Dye met with GCFD officials to discuss firefighting needs.
POMEROY––Jaime Herrera Beutler, Republican candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands, met with Garfield County Fire District No. 1 officials and Representative Mary Dye at the GCFD office on April 29. The discussion centered on management of Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land and response to wildfires, particularly regarding air support.
Garfield County Fire Chief James Cleveland stressed the issue of availability, stating that "if aircraft are on a big fire, there's nothing available here," as well as stating "we are being told we have to use DNR air resources."
Chief Cleveland stated that GCFD's vehicles are sufficient for fighting flatland wildfires, but air support is needed when the fires get into hills or into the Snake River breaks. In addition to fighting the fire, air support is also used to protect the firefighters and is critical in river-break fires. "There's not a blade of grass or a tree in existence that's worth one of my firefighters," Chief Cleveland said.
Marc Burglund, assistant fire chief, stressed the importance of response time when fighting fire. "Fifteen minutes makes a big difference," Burglund said, regarding whether a fire can be put out when small or destroys a hillside.
The approximate response time from GCFD to a fire in Garfield County is 15-20 minutes, with a similar response time from aircraft in Clarkston. DNR approved aircraft from Moses Lake has an earliest estimated response time of two hours.
Beutler stated her goals of improving "safety and efficacy of immediate response by air" by giving the local firefighting agencies more autonomy in decision-making regarding air support mobilization. "The more centralized an office is, the longer the response time. If you don't empower the people on the ground, you'll always be behind the fires," she said.
Beutler also discussed her plans for the management of public lands, including utilizing resources. "The science shows to utilize resources in order to protect them," Beutler said. She discussed managing forest health by increasing timber harvesting and grazing, and using science to push back against the idea of protecting resources by setting them aside.
