King County Emergency Management outlines wildfire preparedness, launches CWPP outreach and Ready, Set, Go activities

King County Emergency Management director Brenda McCluskey briefed the Local Services and Land Use Committee on April 16 about wildfire risks, the county's wildfire risk reduction strategy and the development of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). McCluskey described the county's ongoing actions to prepare communities in the wildland‑urban interface (WUI), encouraged residents to sign up for Alert King County, and reviewed federal funding uncertainties.

McCluskey said the National Interagency Fire Center's seasonal outlook indicated normal wildfire risk through June for western Washington, but that confidence decreases into late summer and fall. "August and September are really the months that have the most critical fire weather," she said, and noted that the county's highest risk often comes before the rains return. She described two main wildfire types the county sees: more common, low‑to‑moderate intensity fires and rarer, high‑intensity, wind‑driven events that can spread rapidly.

Why it matters: King County has more than 352,000…