The Sanders County commissioners met last week with both Sanders County district rangers to discuss the 2021 fire season. According to the Plains/ Thompson Falls District Ranger, Dave Wrobleski, “We are about to head into what could be a potentially significant fire season. Where we are, this early in the year, could play into that.” With over 11 fires already, both rangers spoke to the commissioners about the upcoming threats of such a fire season. Mike Feiger compared it to the one in 2015. Feiger, of the Cabinet Ranger District, said that the Kootenai is already in very high fire danger this year.

Commissioner Carol Brooker expressed concerns about out-of-area visitors recreating, saying that she is afraid they may not be aware of the dangers and how to prevent fires appropriately. Both rangers echoed those concerns, with Feiger commenting about the unusually high foot traffic they have already seen this year from both seasonal recreationists and people relocating.

The northwestern portion of Sanders and most of Lincoln County are already in stage one fire restrictions. This means no campfires outside of marked campsites with established fire rings in cleared areas, and no smoking outside of a vehicle, building or developed recreation site in an area devoid of flammable materials.

Wrobleski brought up the point that locals can help make the work of fire teams easier. According to him, with resources being so limited, the responsibility may fall to locals to prepare and to do their part on their own land. Wrobleski said, “We don’t have enough engines to cover every house.” He also gave an example after the meeting, speaking hypothetically about several houses threatened and one property that is unkept. If the messy property, or “tinder bundle” as Wrobleski referred to it, was to require 20 firefighters to protect, whereas another home was to require only three fighters, then the teams would focus on the house requiring only three. That is because teams of limited numbers can better protect homes that are well kept. This policy is so they can do the most good with the limited resources they have.

Commissioner Glen Magera agreed with the concerns, mentioning that many who are new to the area may not be familiar with the local fire dangers, and he included a few ways they can protect their homes. Clearing the immediate area around the home can prevent spread to the house and wetting the area with sprinklers can make a big difference. “Fire doesn’t like humidity and the more you can create the better off you are,” Magera said.

During the meeting the parties established that they would keep in contact with Bill Naegeli, the county emergency management specialist, to help disseminate information. He mentioned one issue was communication with local rural fire departments who are completely volunteer. He mentioned that they may be contacted but have no one there to answer. In such a case, if there is no feedback, Naegeli suggested moving on to contact another department to provide mutual aid. They all agreed that a better system should be put in place to get fighters onto fires more efficiently and quickly in such a remote county. Naegeli mentioned this is especially true on the west end, toward Noxon and Heron.

More information on fire danger stages in the state can be found at http://www.mtfireinfo.org. The site has a convenient map showing the restriction stages in each area. Interested parties can also search for the Facebook page Sanders County Wildland Fire Information for more local wildfire updates.