PHOTOS: It’s been easier for local fire jurisdictions to get air support during this year’s wildfire season.
A new law, House Bill 1498, went into effect last year, which allows the Washington Department of Natural Resources to assist local and tribal fire crews with their aerial support planes and helicopters during the initial attack phase of a fire.
Before, when a local fire jurisdiction called for aerial support, it either had to have existing mutual aid agreements or request state mobilization. By that point, a fire is bigger than a local unit can handle.
Now the idea is to keep fires small and attack them with full force before they have the chance to get out of hand. The use of the DNR aircraft will also not be charged to the local jurisdictions, allowing fire crews that usually don’t have the money to call in the big guns.