SPOKANE, Wash. — Wildfire season is here and when you hear the words "get out now," that means it's time to leave. However, some people will receive that warning and others won't.
As a historic drought impacts the Inland Northwest, evacuations have expanded past the traditional rural, woodland areas. Lonnie Rash, Spokane County Fire District 6 Chief, said anywhere in Spokane County is in a wildfire-prone area.
When evacuations happen, firefighters have to decide where to evacuate but the decision isn't always a quick one.
First, firefighters will determine the fire's behavior and then work with law enforcement to find which areas are at most risk. Then, they will craft a map of the exact evacuation area. Once the firefighters decide the location, it will go out on dispatch.
Depending on the fire, it can sometimes take 10 to 20 minutes to decide where it's heading, Rash said.
Because of this, authorities urge people to sign up for text alerts on their phones so that once the decision is made they will be notified of the next steps. If you don't, there's a chance the danger could get close without you knowing.
There are two forms of emergency alerts in Washington and North Idaho. The first is Code Red, which goes out to landlines and those signed up. The other is Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) which goes out to every cell phone in a designated area regardless of signing up.
Simone Ramel-McKay from Spokane County Emergency Management said they started using WEA more often because fewer people use landlines. The system is fairly new as it has only been used here for two years.
However, if the danger is bad enough and you aren't able to access your cell phone authorities will go door to door to alert you. This issue is that there can be limitations to this practice, which can leave the vulnerable populations without necessary information.
Authorities agree the easiest and quickest way to be alerted is to sign up for the alerts and pay attention to the situation around you.
Rash said people shouldn't rely on someone to knock on their door during a fire because it may not happen and it could be too late.