Postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Ashley Bosa, traveled to Spokane, Washington to observe a Wildfire Evacuation Drill, put on by the City of Spokane Emergency Manager, Sarah Nuss, and the Spokane Fire Department. This is the city’s second evacuation drill, with at least 880 individual vehicles participating and exiting the Eagle Ridge neighborhood – a substantial increase from the 300 individual vehicles they counted from last year’s evacuation drill from a nearby neighborhood. Spokane and the surrounding vicinity recently experienced two devastating wildfires, the Gray fire and the Oregon Road fire, both of which laid waste to the area in August of 2023.
The point of these exercises is to get homeowners engaged with the dangers of wildfires in their area and how best to react when faced with a rapidly approaching wildfire.
Nuss commented “It appears we had strong participation, based on vehicle turnout and a solid survey response [117 total]. The feedback has been encouraging, particularly around preparedness and ensuring people are signed up for alerts and notifications. Beyond the evacuation exercise itself, the event increased awareness of wildfire evacuation procedures and helped residents better understand how to prepare and respond.”