Spokane County’s Wildfire Prevention Coalition | Spokane News

After last year’s catastrophic wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes in Medical Lake and Elk, Spokane County formed a groundbreaking coalition to fight fire before it strikes. Bringing together every fire department, utility companies, city and county officials, state parks, and conservation groups, this new Wildfire Mitigation Coalition focuses on strategic tree thinning and brush clearing in high-risk zones—ignoring political boundaries to tackle fire prevention where it matters most. With monthly meetings to coordinate efforts, they’re combining smaller projects into larger, more efficient operations, sharing labor and equipment, and eyeing a U.S. Forest Service grant to hire a forester for expert guidance. Private landowners can even get financial help from the DNR. Over five years, they’ve completed nearly 325 projects covering 1,800 acres—proving that investing a few thousand dollars per acre now saves tens of thousands later, keeps fires manageable, and keeps firefighters safer. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/0559be5460456bc2