Fire Department

Wildfire Prevention

What is Wildland Fuels Reduction?

Wildland Fuels Reduction involves removing excess vegetation to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health. By thinning conifers smaller than 8 inches in diameter, forests become more resilient, lowering fire intensity and flame height. The process targets a 12-20 foot spacing between conifers, pruning remaining trees up to 10 feet. Cut materials are chipped or masticated and spread out to decompose naturally.

The Spokane Fire Department estimates that about 3,500 of the City’s 12,000 acres of public-owned lands need immediate treatment, with maintenance planned every 10-15 years. Partnering with the Washington Department of Natural Resources and City Urban Forestry, over 650 acres have been treated. Below are some of the units that have been completed:

• 17 acres in Austin Ravine completed, done by WADNR, post release inmate crew.
• 11.6 acres at Excel Lane completed, done by WADNR, post release inmate crew.
• 39 acres adjacent to Indian Canyon Golf Course completed, done by WADNR, post release inmate crew and WADNR Height’s inmate crews.
• 24.5 acres at Romine Conservation Area completed, done by American Forest Management forestry consultants.
• 17.5 acres facilitated on private lands.
• 56 acres at Palisades Park is completed by WADNR, civilian Firefighters.
• 42 acres off Government Blvd. on Riverside State Park being completed by WADNR, civilian Firefighters.
• 25 acres at Wyakin Park done by the WADOE, Washington Conservation Corps and WADNR, civilian firefighters.
• 54 acres on Beacon Hill adjacent to Esmeralda Golf Course being worked on by WADNR Airway Heights inmate crews.
• 85 acres at Hangman Park on the bluff of the South hill being worked on by the WA DNR Post release crew and a WADNR Equipment Operator with a masticator.
• 12 acres of private land adjacent to Government Way done by WADNR civilian firefighters.
• 83 Acres off Greenwood Rd. (The Pit) by WADNR civilian firefighters, WADOE, Washington Conservation Corps. and a WADNR Equipment Operator with a Masticator.
• 23 acres adjacent to Indian canyon Golf course completed by WADNR Equipment Operator with a Masticator.

In April 2024, the department received $1.875 million through the US Forest Service’s Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program, including a $1.5 million grant and a 25% local match. Although a second $1.5 million grant application for further work was not awarded in Fall 2023, the department will reapply in 2025.

Over the next five years, work will focus on Palisades Park, the Bluff on South Hill, and Beacon/Minnehaha Park. These areas, primarily city-owned, will be treated in phases. Homeowners are also offered assistance through Home Ignition Zone assessments, Firewise programs, and landowner referrals.

In 2025, the department joined the Spokane County Wildfire Mitigation Coalition (SCWMC), a collaborative effort to expand county-wide fuel reduction through shared resources and large-scale grants.

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