State officials outline wildfire risk, detection advances and community resilience funding

Ann Marie Marshall Doty (Assistant Director for Disaster Resilience) and George Geisler (Washington State Forester, DNR) briefed the committee on wildfire risk, response and mitigation.

Marshall Doty framed wildfire as a recurrent statewide hazard: between 2020 and 2025 more than 2.3 million acres burned and Washington now faces roughly a 70% chance in any given year of a wildfire‑related disaster declaration. She said mitigation and planning are central to controlling future costs and protecting communities.

Geisler described DNR's three‑phase approach—assessments, fuels treatments and operational delineations—while outlining technology investments: aircraft with lidar/infrared, detection cameras with AI that DNR estimates cut response times from about 90 minutes to 15, and a common operating picture shared with local fire services. He noted roughly $110 million in USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grants awarded to communities in the state and referenced state legislative efforts such as House Bill 2407 (building standards) and HB 1168 (past funding). He emphasized tailoring mitigation tools between Eastern and Western Washington and noted priorities like home hardening, defensible space and WUI code alignment.

Lawmakers asked about predictive technology, collective bargaining implications for AI use, and the benefits of faster detection for reducing fire sizes and protecting firefighters. No legislative action was taken during the update.