HomeMy WebLinkAboutUPDATE re Federal Lands in Jefferson County Presentatation2025 Wildfire
Summary & 2026
Preparedness
Jefferson County Commissioners Briefing
Jeff Bortner, Fire Management Officer
Olympic Interagency Fire Management Zone
March 2026
Overview
Summary of
2025 Wildfires
Bear Gulch
Fire
Tunnel Creek
Fire
Dose Flats Fire
& Hama Fire
Olympic
Interagency
Fire Program
2026
Preparedness
& Staffing
County
Coordination
Priorities
Bear
Gulch
Fire
(2025)
Start: July 6, 2025
Cause: Human-caused
Size: ~20,232 acres
Location: N. Fork Skokomish Drainage
Strategy: Full suppression
Final Containment: November 6, 2025
Post-fire Focus: Road/culvert stabilization,
hazard trees, watershed protection, etc.
Tunnel
Creek
Fire
(2025)
Start: September 6, 2025
Cause: Lightning
Size: ~550 acres
Location: ~10 miles SW of Quilcene
Managed under Bear Gulch Type 3 IMT
Final Containment: November 6, 2025
Limited values at risk; limited BAER
activation required
Dose
Flats Fire
and
Hamma
Fire
Significant fires in their own
right, overshadowed by Bear
Gulch
Success as a result to having
significant resources assigned to
Bear Gulch we could reassign to
initial attack
Highlights importance of
cooperative fire management on
the Olympic Pennisula
Key
Lessons
from
2025
East -side Olympic foothills
remain vulnerable
Late -season fire activity
likely to increase
Critical need for coordinated
public messaging
Post -fire hydrology risks
continue into winter
Olympic
Interagency
Fire Program
Unified operations across
USFS, NPS, USFWS
Centralized leadership &
dispatch
Shared aviation, training,
and operational resources
Coordination with WA
DNR and local fire districts
Staffing & Preparedness for 2026
Three Type 6 fire engines
One Wildland Fire Module Type 2
Emphasis on early-season training & qualifications
Priority areas: Standard FS/NPS public access points,
Dosewallips, Lake Cushman, Hamma Hamma, etc…
2026
Outlook
Drought Status: East
Jefferson=abnormally dry, west
Jefferson = average
Drought outlook: No drought
predicted for the forecast period
Fire season outlook: a little early to
tell, early season is currently not
showing signs of above average or
below average chances/probability
County Coordination Priorities
Working with Jefferson County
Fire Chiefs
Evacuation preparedness &
WUI education-CWPP
Coordination for fuels and
community
resilience/protection projects
Fire Prevention and Education
Activities
Providing wildfire season
briefings as requested and
available
Closing
2025 demonstrated the
value of interagency
coordination
Strong partnership with
Jefferson County is essential
2026 focus: readiness,
prevention, community
protection
Thank you for your support