Community meeting to highlight wildfire defense efforts, progress

LEAVENWORTH — A Community Wildfire Resilience meeting scheduled for Feb. 5 will look at ways in which Leavenworth residents can better protect their home, property and community against wildfire risk. It will also enable residents to connect with local, county and state partners involved in wildfire risk reduction efforts in the upper valley.

Hosted by the Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition, the community meeting will share practical ways for business and home owners to reduce wildfire risk and create defensible space, including cost-share opportunities to increase resilience.

A progress update will be provided on the near $9.275 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant, which supports hazardous fuels reduction, evacuation route improvement, and implementation of remote water tanks for firefighting response in priority landscapes, such as Chumstick Highway, Upper Lake Wenatchee, and Nason areas.

Attendees will also hear an update on Chelan County’s efforts to place large water tanks in wildfire-prone areas that are far from existing hydrants. The project aims to help responders fight fires more efficiently and aggressively, increasing protections for rural neighborhoods.

The meeting will include a presentation from the U.S. Forest Service on how aviation resources are used for suppression and response in the region.

The Community Wildfire Resilience meeting will start at 6 p.m. at Chelan County Fire District #3’s Station 31, located at 228 Chumstick Highway.