Spokane County Emergency Management

Heads up folks, we have issued a Fire Weather Watch for Sunday. Conditions are favorable for rapid fire spread. Stay alert, avoid outdoor burning, and report any fires immediately. Safety first! 🌲🔥

You may ask: Is there a burn ban?
Check out these sites.

Washington: https://ecology.wa.gov/air-climate/air-quality/smoke-fire/burn-bans or https://www.dnr.wa.gov/burn-restrictions

Idaho: https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/

From Avista Utilities: Avista is taking action to respond to the hot, dry weather conditions by changing our operations to decrease the potential for wildfire across our Washington and Idaho service area.
This shift, called fire safety mode, means we change our system to turn off automatic re-energization when a fault occurs. Avista’s line personnel will physically inspect an outage area before a line is placed back into service. It means you may experience longer outage times, but it keeps everyone safer.
New this year, Avista will be implementing, if warranted, a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). A PSPS event is used only in extreme weather conditions. Avista will use this method to reduce the threat of a wildfire in our communities.
Join us for a Live Conversation about Wildfire on Thursday, June 20th at 6 p.m.
You’ll hear from Avista’s system operations and managers about the changes we’re making to reduce wildfire risk in your community. We’ll be joined by experts from the Cheney Fire Department and Spokane County Emergency Management to discuss emergency preparedness.
You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in polling, providing valuable feedback throughout the event.
Three ways to participate
Register in advance using the button link below.
https://tthm.wufoo.com/.../join-avista-for-a-live.../
Then, wait by your phone and receive a call on June 20th at 6 p.m.
Call in at 6 p.m. on June 20th to join the toll-free call: 888-410-3427 (English) or 844-881-1317 (Spanish)
Answer our call on your phone. If we have your correct phone number on file, you’ll automatically receive a call at 6 p.m. on June 20th and you can decide to join (or not) at that time.

tthm.wufoo.com

Update: 9:42pm: The shelter will be closing soon with the downgrade to level 2 evacuations.

Update: 5:22pm: The meeting point will be at the Shriners Event Center, 7217 W Westbow Blvd, 99224 and it will open at 6pm.

The Red Cross is working on opening a fire evacuation meeting point. We will update this post when a location is confirmed.

You can keep track of current evacuation notices and also search your address to see if you are in an evacuation zone at the following link:

Spokane County Evacuation Address Lookup Spokane County Evacuation Address Lookup

Update: June 13, 2024 7:33pm: ALL evacuations have been lifted.

UPDATE: June 12, 2024 8:30 PM: Spokane County Fire District 3 has downgraded the following area to a LEVEL 1 Evacuation, Get Ready to Leave:
Matts Ln on the North
Morning Ln on the South
Abbott on the West
Assembly on the East.

Evacuation orders for all other areas of the Grove Fire have been lifted. Please see the map below these updates or visit: https://bit.ly/SRECOfficialEvac to see the Level 1 area.

3 Updates: June 12, 2024 10:56am: Spokane Fire District 3 has Downgraded the Wildland Fire evacuation status for residents living Abbott Rd on the West to Matts Ln. Matts Ln East to Assembly. Assembly South to Morning Ln. Dorset on the East and Hallett on the North.. Level 1 Evacuation, Get READY to leave! Be prepared to leave your current location. Conditions could get worse due to the Wildland Fire. Monitor phone and media for more info or visit https://bit.ly/SRECOfficialEvac for current evacuation maps.

Spokane Fire District 3 has Downgraded the Wildland Fire evacuation status for residents living to the West to Abbott and East to Dorset. North to 57th and South to Hallett,. Level 1 Evacuation, Get READY to leave! Be prepared to leave your current location. Conditions could get worse due to the Wildland Fire. Monitor phone and media for more info or visit https://bit.ly/SRECOfficialEvac for current evacuation maps.

A level 2 evacuation alert remains for residents living between Abbott Rd on the West and Assembly on the East. Matts Ln on the North and Morning Ln on the South.. Level 2 Evacuation, Get SET to leave! Monitor phone and media for more info or visit https://bit.ly/SRECOfficialEvac for current evacuation maps.

Update: June 11, 2024 9:25pm: Spokane County Fire District 3 has downgraded the wildland fire evacuation order for residents living between Abbot Road on the west a Dorset Road on the east, between Morningstar Lane on the south and 57th Avenue on the north. Be prepared to leave at a moments notice. If you, or anyone at your location, need extra time, or have pets or livestock, you are strongly encouraged to evacuate now. Monitor phone and media for more info.

Update: June 11, 2024 3:33pm: The Level 3 northern boundary has been extended North to 57th Ave, no other boundaries have changed.

June 11, 2024 2:51pm: Level 3 Evacuation, GO, Leave NOW!—this may be your only notice. Spokane Fire District 3 has crews working a brush fire. Residents living to the West to Abbott and East to Dorset. North to Hallett. South to Morning Ln, must leave now due to the life-threatening conditions in your area! Monitor your phone and media for more information.

Cheney- Spokane Road is being reopened for evacuations.

You can keep track of the current evac zones via https://bit.ly/SRECOfficialEvac

It's week! Check back all week long for tips on how to stay safe when the air is smoky.

Today we are kicking off Week! Wildfires from far and near can contribute to unhealthy air. We can't predict how much smoke we may get, but we can be prepared. Each day this week we're featuring ways you can prepare for wildfire smoke and why it is important.

Warmer temps mean more people are outside doing yard work. Take extra precautions to help prevent wildfires.

If you plan to work outdoors with equipment, take steps to prevent wildfires.

| ready.gov/wildfires

Warmer temps coming this weekend.

Are you prepared for wildfire? Did you know embers are the leading cause of home ignition during a wildfire? Help protect your home and property by taking the following preventive measures.

Wildfire Awareness Month & Outdoor Burning

As the weather gets warmer, be aware of burning requirements in your area. In the City of Spokane, burn restrictions are common in the summer. Stay current on local burning with Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency at: spokanecleanair.org

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻: 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟯
Winds are a crucial factor in the spread of wildfire. Their swift movement can create intense heat, generating powerful updrafts that carry embers, igniting new fires and making containment efforts more challenging. Learn more below.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻: 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮
Did you know that a majority of wildfires are actually human caused? Take a look below at ways you can help prevent wildfire. 🔥

WildFire Awareness Month 2024

Let's talk about Defensible space.

Defensible space is crucial for your home’s wildfire safety. It’s the buffer zone you create between your property and the surrounding wildland area. This space is key to slowing or stopping wildfire spread and protecting your home from embers, flames, or heat. It also gives firefighters a safer area to defend your property.

Heat Safety Campaign Day 1 of 5: Summer will be here before we know it, and so will hot temperatures! This week we’ll be participating in a nationwide Heat Safety Campaign to share info and resources on how to stay safe in the heat.

Heat Safety Campaign Day 2 of 5: When your body heats too rapidly, or when you sweat out too much fluid or salt, you may experience a heat-related illness. Learn the symptoms of excessive heat exposure and the appropriate responses at weather.gov/safety/heat-illness.

FEMA assistance available for survivors of Eastern Washington wildfires. See press release for more information.

Looks like we have our first round of heavy snow coming in tonight and tomorrow. If you have to be out driving please make sure you slow down and leave extra time to get where you are going and keep extra space between your car and the car in front of you.

We are going to have a very, very cold few days. Try to limit your time outside. Keep pets inside as much as possible as these temps are extremely dangerous.

Though we are still expecting snow across portions of the Inland Northwest today, perhaps the even more drastic change will be plummeting temperatures for tonight into the weekend. Here is the wind chill forecast for Friday morning around the typical work/school commute time. Yep, that's pretty brisk!

From National Weather Service - Spokane
Major Shift in Weather this week...

Key Points
● Monday: Seasonal and breezy. Light snow over Cascades Monday night.
● Tuesday-Wednesday: Early Winter Storm
○ Mountain Passes: Moderate to Heavy Snow Possible.
○ Valleys: Light to Moderate Snow Possible.
○ Chilly north to northeast winds.
● Thursday-Friday: Cold
○ Temperatures 10-15 degrees below normal; widespread hard freeze.
○ Light rain and snow
● Weekend: Remaining chilly and decreasing chances for precipitation

Spokane Co. long-term Recovery group sponsored a tour of the and the for Elected Officials and others to learn more about the response, aftermath, and recovery.

Honorary dropping of the puck at the opening night of the Spokane Chiefs. Mayor Terri Cooper-Medical Lake, Liz Beatty, Coldwell Banker Tomlinson - Spokane Valley, and Pastor Jose Ng of the Country Church of the Open Bible, in Elk, WA. ,

is helping in the SilverLk/Grey Fire area this week to cut down hazardous trees for homeowners. Such a generous free service from a Veteran originated volunteer organization that assists throughout the United States and the world responding to disaster areas. Thank you Team Rubicon! We'll see you again soon to help those in need.

Tomorrow, Wednesday October 4 at about 11:20am, FEMA and the FCC will conduct their nationwide Emergency Alert test. They will test both the EAS (Emergency Alert System) and WEA (wireless emergency alerts).

The message you should receive will be, "This is a test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."

We are hanging out at Spokane Valley Fire Department Open House from 10am-2pm today! Come visit us and all the other agencies. There are great giveaways and tons of information!