Title
Approval of a Resolution Authorizing an Agreement with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for Forestland Fire Mutual Aid
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for forestland fire mutual aid.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for forestland fire mutual aid.
Staff Contact:
Hillory Flowers, Interim Fire Chief, Olympia Fire Department, 360.709.2721
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar
Background and Analysis:
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) collects property taxes on certain lands and is statutorily charged with protecting those lands from wildfire. Within the City of Olympia limits are land parcels, such as the woods around Grass Lake and the Percival Creek and Watershed Park, that fall into the definition of "forest lands." In the past years, the City of Olympia Fire Department has taken a lead role in extinguishing fires on these parcels and has worked with mutual aid partners and the DNR to access personnel, equipment, and technical expertise.
The Forestland Response Agreement provides the legal and practical framework DNR uses to guide the operations in these Wildland Urban Interface areas with fire departments and districts throughout the State. This agreement specifies how the city of Olympia Fire Department and the DNR will cooperate during an emergency response. The agreement provides guidelines on how resources are to be ordered, who is responsible for leading the response, and how that responsibility is transferred, along with details on payment rates and invoice processing. Should the city need outside resources or be part of a mutual aid response outside the city, the agreement will provide the mechanism for those serv...
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