As you may know, King County Executive Dow Constantine held a press conference in Mirrormont Park on July 26th, 2022 to launch KC’s Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy: https://www.q13fox.com/news/king-county-launches-strategy-to-combat-wildfire-risk-in-the-region
Afterwards, the press followed King Conservation District’s Mike Lasecki to a Mirrormont home where he talked about the Firewise Program and how to prepare our properties to be more resistant to fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eafkS-OnRjQ.
Beginning in February 2023 Mirrormont’s Firewise Committee began updating our 2015 Wildfire Protection Plan https://www.mirrormont.org/mirrormont-firewise-program to a 2023 Community Wildfire Risk Assessment and developing a 5-year plan. Contact firewise@mirrormont.org if you’d like to help.
Meanwhile, here is what you can do now:
1. Watch the 36-minute webinar “Managing Wildfire Risk to Western Washington Communities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV3ua1c_hhk and then get a free wildfire risk assessment for your property. To start the process, submit your request by filling out the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSwEUSSLDWhd6ISdS3GyAnHLiuvyMKdWCd6wcDW8d4OBUk9w/viewform
2. Clean your roof & gutters: Remove fine flammable debris before July 4th, when red flag warnings or fire weather watches are forecasted, and regularly through the summer until the rains return.
3. Clear the 5-foot zone around your home and decks: Rake away leaves, mulch, and other flammable debris down to bare ground. If you want to, replace mulch with nonflammable material such as rock. Prune or move plants away from this zone.
4. Participate in Chipper Days (April 24–25, 2023), focusing on removing heavy accumulations of ground litter/debris, dead plant and tree material, out to 200 feet from your home.
Please take these steps to become more Firewise. We depend on each other to make our community safe.
