Wildfire is Here. How to Ignite Your Mitigation Program

Western Washington is creating its own version of the fire triangle: increasing summer temperatures, decreasing summer precipitation, and rapid population growth – all factors that contribute to a longer fire season and increased wildfire hazards. Recent fire activity in the Pacific Northwest, and around the country, has led to heightened public awareness of wildfire danger and a growing demand for Emergency Management and emergency response services to plan, prepare, and mitigate for wildfire emergencies.

In July 2022, the King County Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy identified three primary objectives:
1. Increasing the resilience of King County forests to wildfire
2. Increasing wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery within the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), and
3. Responding quickly, effectively, and safely when wildfire occurs.

This workshop will help you explore strategies, methods, and science to start, support, and/or collaborate toward the fire adapted communities we need to prepare for life in the Wildland Urban Interface.

About the Presenter

Catherine (Cat) Robinson is the Wildfire Mitigation Specialist and Emergency Coordinator for Eastside Fire & Rescue (EF&R) in King County, Washington. She developed the Wildfire Safe Eastside – Wildfire Mitigation Assessment Program, and manages the planning, development, and implementation of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. As part of EF&R’s Emergency Management Division, she works as a regional expert in planning, preparing, and mitigation for disasters. Previously, Cat served as the Emergency Manager for Lake Washington School District, helping lead the District’s COVID response, and developed the Redmond High School CERT program. Cat is an Advisory Board Member of The Resiliency Initiative. Outside of work, she serves as Research Consultant for Living With Fire art series, whose short film Beyond Us, which recently won Best Experimental Film at the Denver Movie Awards and is a finalist at the Sacramento Independent Film Festival and the Paris International Short Festival.