Living with wildfire in Chelan County Fire District #3, Chelan County, Washington: 2022 data report

Suzanne Wittenbrink; Colleen Donovan; Julia B. Goolsby; Patricia A. Champ; Dave Nalle; Hannah Brenkert-Smith; James R. Meldrum; Christopher M. Barth; Carolyn Wagner; Chiara Forrester

doi:10.2737/RMRS-RN-105

Treesearch

Living with wildfire in Chelan County Fire District #3, Chelan County, Washington: 2022 data report

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Suzanne Wittenbrink, Colleen Donovan, Julia B. Goolsby, Patricia A. Champ, Dave Nalle, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, James R. Meldrum, Christopher M. Barth, Carolyn Wagner, Chiara Forrester

Year:

2025

Type:

Research Note

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-RN-105

Source:

Res. Note RMRS-RN-105. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 129 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-RN-105

Download (PDF 26.83 MB)

Download (PDF 26.83 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/69620.pdf

Abstract

Community wildfire readiness includes homeowner wildfire risk mitigation and wildfire evacuation preparedness. In 2021 and 2022, the Wildfire Research (WiRē) Center partnered with Chelan County Fire District #3 (CCFD #3) to learn how CCFD #3 can effectively engage with residents about preparing for a wildfire event and mitigating wildfire risk around the home.The CCFD #3 residents were responsive to the household survey (38% response rate). Respondents reported being aware of wildfire risk and having taken action to mitigate risk on their properties and prepare for evacuation. However, residents’ perceptions of property-level wildfire risk did not align with wildfire assessments conducted by trained assessors. Residents may benefit from financial assistance to support proper mitigation and educational outreach.

Keywords

WiRē (wildfire research), co-produced research, risk assessment, survey data, social science, community, resident

Citation

Wittenbrink, Suzanne; Donovan, Colleen; Goolsby, Julia B.; Champ, Patricia A.; Nalle, Dave; Brenkert-Smith, Hannah; Meldrum, James R.; Barth, Christopher M.; Wagner, Carolyn; Forrester, Chiara. 2025. Living with wildfire in Chelan County Fire District #3, Chelan County, Washington: 2022 data report. Res. Note RMRS-RN-105. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 129 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-RN-105