City fire officials warn of above‑average wildland fire risk; urge preparedness

Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Sells told the Coeur d'Alene City Council on May 6 that experts are predicting higher‑than‑average wildland fire activity this summer because of drought conditions and below‑average snowpack.

Sells said city and county partners use regional forecasting products to shape staffing decisions, preposition air and ground resources during red‑flag warnings, and determine whether crews can be deployed to assist other communities. He told council that no single agency can manage a large wildland‑urban interface fire alone and emphasized mutual aid and formal statewide agreements.

Sells described the city’s wildland‑urban interface map supplied by the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management and said “there’s no area within the city that does not fall into the WUI classification,” citing Tubbs Hill and other wooded, populated zones. He stressed that winds are the principal driver of fire growth and recommended property hardening and compliance with burn restrictions.

The city will require burn permits beginning May 10 from the Idaho Department of Lands; Sells said permits are free but require users to acknowledge fire‑safety rules so noncompliant burns can be extinguished. He highlighted FireSmart fuel‑reduction projects funded by state and federal grants, including proposed fuel breaks between Interstate‑90 and the Armstrong neighborhood.

Sells reviewed formal agreements that support local response: two written cooperative arrangements with the Idaho Department of Lands to leverage air resources and manpower and the Idaho Cooperative Mobilization Agreement (ICMA), which standardizes resource lists, costs and reimbursement across jurisdictions. He also noted the Kootenai County Fire Chiefs Association’s preplanned strike teams and a local deployment history that returned operational lessons to city crews.

Sells urged residents to prepare household evacuation plans, sign up for Alert Kootenai, and use apps such as PulsePoint and WatchDuty for emergency notifications. He said the city can provide home visits to advise on defensible‑space landscaping and urged homeowners to keep doors closed and remove combustible furniture where feasible when evacuating.

Councilmember Christie thanked Sells for the presentation and asked whether the department offers public workshops; Sells said staff provides community briefings, will speak with the Tubbs Hill group, and that the county Office of Emergency Management publishes a preparedness checklist. Sells said the city participates in and coordinates projects with Inland Forest Management and local parks staff to design fuel breaks and mitigation work.

The presentation concluded with Sells urging ongoing community partnership: “Our community is a force multiplier” in preventing human‑caused wildland fires, he said.

Ending: The council received the briefing and had no further action on the item; staff said more localized weather outlooks and operational staffing decisions will follow as the season progresses.