Wildland Fire Advisory Committee
The Wildland Fire Advisory Committee (WFAC) was established by RCW 76.04.179 in 2015. The mission of the WFAC is to advise the Commissioner of Public Lands on all matters related to wildland fire management and firefighting in Washington state, including but not limited to developing recommendations regarding capital budget requests related to fire and developing strategies to enhance the safe and effective use of private and public wildland firefighting resources. To further define the role and direction of the WFAC, the Commissioner approved the creation of a charter for the committee in 2017. The committee receives guidance from the State Forester. Meetings are held on a monthly basis.
Committee Accomplishments
The committee played a pivotal role in the development of the updated Washington State Wildland Fire Protection 10-Year Strategic Plan (Plan) which was published in 2018 and plays an ongoing role in advising on its implementation. In 2024, the committee completed a five-year review of the Plan to assess progress achieving its goals and how they and the strategies in the Plan aligned with the current conditions. An Addendum to the Plan was published which presents the findings of the review, recommendations for its implementation, and amendments to the Plan.
Other key efforts of the WFAC include the Report on Substitute House Bill 2561 to the Legislature, recommendations for improving the allocation of volunteer fire district assistance to advance environmental justice and equity, and recommendations developed with the Forest Health Advisory Committee for the allocation of funds from the Wildfire Response, Forest Restoration, and Community Resilience Account (2SHB 1168 Account).
Roster
Statutory Authority
RCW 76.04.179 grants the committee its authority.
Contact
Contact Bryan Perrenod at Bryan.Perrenod@dnr.wa.gov with questions and comments.
Related Links
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View the Commissioner's letter to the Legislature and the Wildland Fire Advisory Committee's Report on Substitute House Bill 2561
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See a high-level summary of the recommendations to the Legislature
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View the December 2015 report to the Commissioner of Public Lands from the Wildland Fire Liaison
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DNR completed the strategic plan in 2006. Early in 2017, the Commissioner tasked the WFAC to evaluate the strategic plan for its relevance to the current conditions of firefighting and provide feedback. The Committee completed it’s work and provided recommendations in July, 2017.
