You can plan for a lot in county government — budgets, roads, growth — but you can’t schedule a wildfire. When it comes, it comes fast, and Aug. 13, just outside Rainier, it came fast.
By 3 p.m., smoke was in the air. By 4:20 p.m., a Level 3 evacuation order was issued: “GO NOW.” By that evening, the flames were stopped in their tracks, an evacuation shelter was running at Tenino High School, and dozens of agencies had worked shoulder to shoulder to keep people safe and property preserved.
It was an all-hands moment: firefighters from multiple counties, law enforcement from across the region, the Port of Olympia, the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Washington State Patrol, Thurston County Emergency Management and many more, both on scene and behind the scenes. Citizens pitched in where they could, from turning on sprinklers to checking on neighbors and helping with livestock.
This is what interagency coordination looks like when it works: quick, clear and united. In this case, it kept a dangerous situation from becoming a tragedy.
Wildfire isn’t just an Eastern Washington problem anymore
For years in Western Washington, we thought of wildfire as something that happened “over there” across the mountains. We thought we were too green and forever safe from the dangers of wildfires.
When I was a wildland firefighter in the early 2000s, we joked that our forests were made of asbestos and never burned. The fires we were fighting were not in Western Washington. Our reality has changed, and it has changed drastically.
In recent summers, we’ve seen significant fire activity in Grand Mound, Scatter Creek, Rochester and now Rainier. Summers are hotter, drier and windier than they used to be. Grasslands that stayed green into August now go gold by early July. Vegetation that once held moisture dries out faster than ever.
It only takes one spark, a dragging trailer chain, an unattended burn pile, a lawn mower hitting a rock, or even a hot car parking in the dried grass, to turn a quiet afternoon into a fast-moving emergency.
That’s why preparation matters. Firefighters train for it. Agencies plan for it. But when it happens, everyone, including citizens, neighbors and community leaders, has a role to play.
What showing up looks like
When the evacuation order came down in Rainier, people didn’t hesitate. They got out quickly. They checked on neighbors. They moved animals to safety. They gave firefighters the space they needed to work.
That cooperation saves lives. Every minute counts when the wind is pushing flames toward homes. The sooner crews can get into position, the better the odds for everyone.
I’m always impressed by how fast our professional responders mobilize and by how everyday people step up.
I’ve heard stories of small acts of readiness and neighbors helping neighbors: loading pets into carriers, tossing essentials into cars, warning each other about road closures, making sure those without transportation had a ride. That’s how we need to be.
This holds true for any emergency: wildfire, flood, earthquake. When the call comes, the difference between safety and disaster is whether you’re ready to act.
Preparation isn’t optional anymore
Final thought
I’ve always believed the real strength of a community isn’t measured by the calm, easy days, it’s measured by the hard ones.
Wildfire season is here, and it’s not going away. We can’t control when the next spark will fly, but we can control how ready we are and how we respond.
When the call comes, whether it’s fire, flood, or something we haven’t imagined yet, let’s be the place that moves fast, works together and takes care of our own.
And let’s remember to thank the people and agencies that make that possible: the fire crews, law enforcement, emergency managers, dispatchers and neighbors who step up without hesitation.
Because out here, that’s just what we do.
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Wayne Fournier is a Thurston County commissioner, former Tenino mayor, firefighter and lifelong community advocate. He believes that small towns are the last frontier of big ideas. He shares stories of civic creativity, leadership and community-building in his regular newspaper column.
