Helping King County Residents Get Wildfire Ready

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Project Overview

Wildfire may not be the first hazard Western Washington residents associate with home—but the risk is growing. King County has experienced multiple wildfires larger than 100 acres since 2017, and changing conditions are expected to create longer fire seasons and more opportunities for large wildfires in the region.

To help residents understand that risk and prepare, King County partnered with Cascadia to develop the King County Wildfire Ready Toolkit, adapting the CAL FIRE Wildfire Action Booklet for Western Washington. Cascadia worked collaboratively with King County’s Executive Climate Office, Office of Emergency Management, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Eastside Fire & Rescue, and King Conservation District to turn technical expertise into a cohesive resource designed around the needs of King County residents.

Approach and Impact

Cascadia supported the project from content development through design, working with subject matter experts to refine complex information into plain language while maintaining technical accuracy. The resulting toolkit moves readers from understanding local wildfire risk to taking practical steps: hardening their homes, managing vegetation and other fuels around their properties, creating household evacuation plans, assembling emergency supplies, preparing to evacuate, and connecting with local resources.

The design reinforces that focus on action. Illustrated diagrams help residents understand concepts such as home hardening and the home ignition zone, while checklists, cost and frequency indicators, navigation tools, local photography, and clearly differentiated sections make a complex topic easier to explore and use. The toolkit also points residents toward local technical and financial assistance, home assessments, emergency alerts, and other resources that can help them take the next step.

Before finalizing the toolkit, Cascadia also developed a usability-testing process to gather feedback from representative users, partners, and stakeholders on its clarity, navigability, design, and effectiveness. That input helped the project team identify and prioritize final improvements—keeping the finished product focused not just on what experts wanted residents to know, but on what residents could readily understand and act on.

The County features its new wildfire kit with a video titled Wildfire safety starts at home. “Everyone wants to make their neighborhood more resilient to climate impacts and prepare for a potential evacuation, but it’s not always clear where to begin,” said Mo McBroom, Interim Director of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. “That’s why the customized toolkit our staff developed with partners is such a valuable resource, providing clear instructions for preparing our communities for the increasing threat of wildfire in King County.”

The finished toolkit gives King County residents a resource built for their region: one that acknowledges the realities of wildfire in Western Washington while emphasizing meaningful steps people can take before an emergency occurs.

Multimedia from King County

Resources from King County

Date: July 14, 2026Author: Chad Lewis 0 Comments

Summary

A new toolkit developed by King County climate, forestry, and emergency management experts is now available to help residents prepare their families, homes, and neighborhoods for increasing wildfire risk in Western Washington.

News

King County, in a partnership with Eastside Fire and Rescue and King Conservation District, developed a customized toolkit to help residents better prepare their homes and communities for increased wildfire risks.

The new Wildfire Ready Toolkit is tailored to the specific conditions King County communities face, featuring customized actions to help reduce risk and build resilience. Climate, forestry, and emergency management experts at King County worked with local partners and first responders to develop the toolkit, based on the wildfire action plan created by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

“The climate crisis has exacerbated the threat of wildfires in our region, making community preparedness and resilience more important than ever,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. “King County is committed to making tools and resources available to residents so they can prepare their homes, families, and communities for increasing wildfire risk. I’m grateful to our King County experts and partners who developed this accessible toolkit and encourage everyone living in a wildland-urban area to utilize it.”

About 15% of King County’s population lives in wildland-urban interface areas that are more likely to experience wildfire. It includes a range of communities, from urban neighborhoods next to open spaces to rural properties located in forestland. Flying embers can travel a mile or more by winds, igniting roofs, decks, porches, and surrounding vegetation.

The toolkit is part of King County’s ongoing work to implement the Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy, a set of countywide actions launched in 2022 to improve wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery as the region experiences more frequent and severe extreme weather due to climate change. The strategy also advances King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan and Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

Two King County agencies — the Department of Natural Resources and Parks and the Office of Emergency Management — worked with partners to develop the toolkit.

“Everyone wants to make their neighborhood more resilient to climate impacts and prepare for a potential evacuation, but it’s not always clear where to begin,” said Mo McBroom, Interim Director of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. “That’s why the customized toolkit our staff developed with partners is such a valuable resource, providing clear instructions for preparing our communities for the increasing threat of wildfire in King County.”

“Equipping our communities with practical, easy‑to‑use tools like the Wildfire Ready Toolkit strengthens our shared resilience,” said Brendan McCluskey, Director of the King County Office of Emergency Management. “This resource helps residents understand the specific steps they can take to reduce wildfire risk around their homes and neighborhoods. When paired with the essentials of preparedness — making a plan, building a kit, and staying informed — it gives people the confidence and knowledge to take action before an emergency occurs. I encourage every household to download the toolkit, talk with their neighbors, and start preparing today.”

Checklists to reduce wildfire risk, plan for evacuation, prepare emergency supply kits

The toolkit features multiple checklists to help residents prepare their homes and property, create an evacuation plan, and prepare an emergency supply kit.

The checklist of actions to reduce wildfire risk to homes and property includes:

Removing vegetation, firewood, debris, and any other flammable items located within 5 feet of your home, and adding non-flammable materials such as gravel
Clearing flammable plant debris from your roof and gutters
Removing vegetation such as grass and weeds from under decks, porches, and stairs
Covering exterior ventilation openings – except dryer and plumbing vents – with wire mesh screens to keep flying embers from entering your home
Removing wood fencing and gates located within 5 feet of your home and relocating sheds and other structures at least 30 feet from your home
Pruning branches so they don’t come within 10 feet of your home

The checklist of actions for creating an evacuation plan and preparing your household includes:

Identifying one or more designated emergency meeting locations and different escape routes in the event of an evacuation
Developing a family communications plan that includes places to meet and emergency points of contact
Assembling an easily accessible emergency supply kit for each person in your family and pets
Getting familiar with King County’s Ready, Set, Go! evacuation levels – available at kingcounty.gov/ReadySetGo – and the actions you should take for each level.

The checklist for assembling an emergency supply kit – also knowns as a “go bag” – includes:

A map marked with at least two evacuation routes
Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
A first aid kit
Prescriptions and special medications
Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses
An extra set of car keys, phone charger, credit cards, and cash
A change of clothes, including a long-sleeved cotton shirt, pants, and sturdy shoes

King County officials encourage residents to sign up for ALERT King County at kingcounty.gov/alert to stay informed about potential hazards and threats.

The majority of wildfires are caused by human activity. According to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, common sources of human-caused wildfires are burning debris, unattended or improperly extinguished campfires, discarded cigarettes, arson, and sparks from equipment, including mowers, dragging chains, downed electrical equipment, and vehicle exhaust.

“Wildfire risk is not solely a function of weather or topography – it is profoundly influenced by how we steward our property and the landscape around us,” said Catherine Robinson of Eastside Fire and Rescue. “Every property owner, resident, and community member has a responsibility to reduce hazardous fuels on and around their home and prepare for wildfire. By taking responsibility for the vegetation and conditions of our homes and neighborhoods, we can reduce wildfire risk and strengthen our shared resilience. Together, we can create and sustain strong fire-adapted communities.”

“The Wildfire Ready Toolkit is a great resource for people to learn how they can help protect their homes and communities from wildfires,” said King Conservation District Wildfire Mitigation Program Coordinator Natalia Williams. “We hope everyone that lives in forested areas will read the guide and then reach out to King Conservation District for wildfire mitigation services including project cost-share funding.”

Multimedia from King County

Resources from King County

King County Contact

Doug Williams, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, 206-477-4543

Wildfire happens in Western Washington—and preparation can make a difference. Cascadia worked with King County and regional wildfire experts to transform technical guidance into a locally tailored, user-tested toolkit that helps residents understand their risk and take practical steps to prepare their homes and households.