The two major wildfires in Washington have prompted local
officials to order numerous residents to evacuate or be prepared
to leave in the face of oncoming flames. Being ready to evacuate
during a wildfire is a fact of life for anyone who lives in the
wildfire-prone areas of our state. Fire evacuations are aimed at
saving lives and protecting the safety of residents and
firefighters, as well as property; but who is responsible to
issue and enforce these orders? The answer is: local emergency
managers and law enforcement officials. But these officials do
not work alone. Emergency agencies across the nation — the
world, in fact — have learned that managing wildfires and other
disasters works best through a ‘unified command’ incident
management structure in which firefighters and local safety
agencies work together. Fire managers assess the weather,
terrain, potential spread, and other factors about a fire to
help emergency officials decide whether to advise or order
evacuations (and when to lift them after the