Wildland Fire Advisory Committee

Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2093, which passed during the 2015 regular legislative session, required the Department of Natural Resources to appoint a local Wildland Fire Liaison and to establish a Wildland Fire Advisory Committee (WFAC) to gain information about how the state can most effectively respond to future wildfires.

With the goal of improving communication and coordination with communities around the state, on December 1, 2015 the DNR appointed then Kittitas County Commissioner Gary Berndt to serve as the state's first-ever Wildland Fire Liaison. Berndt is responsible for helping Washington communities identify and best use their firefighting assets to quickly respond to fires. He also will advise state and federal wildfire fighting leaders about concerns of residents and landowners in fire-affected communities.

The Wildland Fire Liaison and the Committee have provided a valuable service to the state of Washington and DNR’s Wildfire Program. Their work has benefited efforts to more fully develop and integrate the local capability and expertise found in over 450 local Fire Protection Districts throughout the state with DNR’s Wildfire Program.

This committee consists of individuals from all over the state, representing different constituencies. For more information on the committee, see House Bill 2093.

Legislative Report for ESHB 2093

See a high-level summary of the recommendations to the Legislature.

View the December 2015 report to the Commissioner of Public Lands from the Wildland Fire Liaison.

2006 Strategic Plan for Wildland Fire Protection

DNR completed the strategic plan in 2006. Early in 2017, Commissioner Franz tasked the WFAC to evaluate the strategic plan for its relevance to the current conditions of firefighting and provide feedback. The Committee completed it’s work and provided recommendations in July, 2017.

Mission Statement

It is the purpose of the Wildland Fire Advisory Committee to advise the Commissioner of Public Lands on all matters related to wildland firefighting and fire issues in the state, including but not limited to developing recommendations regarding capital budget requests related to fire and developing strategies to enhance the safe and effective use of private and public wildland firefighting resources. To further define the role and direction of the WFAC, Commissioner Franz signed a Charter for the Committee.

If you have questions or need more information about the work of the Wildland Fire Liaison or the Wildland Fire Advisory Committee, please contact committee coordinator Ken Elliot at 360-902-1327 or ken.elliott@dnr.wa.gov.