The state Department of Natural Resources mistakenly overpaid a private contractor to help fight last year’s Carlton Complex fire in North-Central Washington, according to a state accountability audit released Thursday.
While the amount the state overpaid — about $9,000 — was subsequently repaid by the private contractor, the audit finding highlights the pressure on the state’s largest wildland firefighting agency to respond quickly to fires while also ensuring that all proper procedures are followed.
Following last year’s unprecedented fire season, some lawmakers and local officials from the east side of the state criticized the Department of Natural Resources for being slow and inefficient to enlist the help of civilian and private firefighting crews during the fierce blazes.
But state auditors said in their report Thursday that DNR acted so quickly in one instance that it failed to establish reimbursement rates for a private contractor in advance and in writing, as the department’s policies require.
“Due to the imminent threat to public safety, the department entered into this emergency agreement without establishing these rates,” according to the report from the Washington State Auditor’s Office.
“Without establishing agreed-upon rates in contracts for fire suppression services, public funds are at risk of misuse or abuse,” the audit says.