Important Links During Fire Season!

There are a number of good resources on facebook and elsewhere to keep track of local fires... Visit these links for up to date information!

Before You Burn:

Be sure to call the Sheriff's Department BEFORE you start burning brush. They'll tell you if there's a burn ban AND they'll know that they don't need to send out the Fire Department if someone reports smoke.

Ferry County Sheriff Dispatch >>> 509-775-3132

Your neighbors are VERY nervous about smoke... please be aware that your fire could impact many others!

Facebook> https://www.facebook.com/Ferry.Sheriff

Fire Info Links

Northeast WA Fire Information (govt) > https://www.facebook.com/newfireinfo

WildCAD - Northeast Washington Interagency Communications Center

website : http://www.wildcad.net/WCWA-NEC.htm (choose open incidents)

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NEWICC.InfoPage/

InciWeb - Incident Information System > https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

NWCC (North West Interagency Coordination Center)

website: https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/firemap.aspx

Okanogan Highlands Fire Watch (private volunteers)

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OHfirewatch/

Use #ferrywildfires2022 to search quickly for info on this page.

Smoke Information

Got smoke? TWO more fire season resources for you...

The Fire and Smoke map! https://fire.airnow.gov/

Purple Air (Air Quality Information)

https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/mAQI/a10/cC0#7.58/48.374/-119.458

Watch the Amazing Fire Bosses!

Fire Boss on Curlew Lake No1

Eastern Washington experiences wildfires every summer. If the fire is nearby, the water planes (Fire Boss) will "dip" into Curlew Lake. It's an amazing and inspiring sight, especially when they are coming in one after the other! (filmed in August 2021)

Fire Boss on Curlew Lake No2

It takes a loooong glide on the lake to fill up the Fire Boss water tanks. Curlew Lake is roughly 7 miles long. The planes are flying from North to South down the lake almost directly towards the camera.

There are 3 planes coming down one after the other... look for their headlights... the smoke is heavy! The goal is to get the fire out quick, before it gets way out of control.

When the tanks are full, the planes are much heavier than when they touched the water. You'll see the last plane dump water to gain altitude and you'll hear the engines rev up to take off. It takes amazing skill to "dip" with a fire plane.

Fire Boss Overhead!

Another day, a different fire (but also in August 2021). This time the planes were flying from the South to the North, and at one point they were coming in directly overhead, which was exciting. You can easily see how steep their approach is to the water!

Fire Boss on Curlew Lake No4

In general the Fire Boss teams fly in groups of two or three. It may take them 15 or 20 minutes to get from the lake to the fire and back for another "dip".

On their next trip to Curlew Lake, this team decided to take a new approach with gave them a longer, straighter path up lake.

In this video, we'll see two planes dipping one after the other, and they're traveling from South to North.

Fire Boss Common Sense

Respect Firefighting AIRCRAFT!

If you are at a lake and the planes are actively dipping water ...

STAY OUT OF THE WAY!

If you are in the flight path, you endanger the pilots, waste fuel, and slow down the firefighting efforts. Plus, you might get hurt, too, if the pilots have to dump water to gain altitude.

NO Drones!

The fire planes cannot fly if a drone is in the air.