On behalf of the Washington Fire Chiefs Board of Directors and Staff, I would like to wish our members a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  As 2014 concludes, it is important to reflect on the successes and accomplishments the WFC has experienced throughout the year.  From hiring a new executive director, the challenges of the 2014 legislative session, a successful annual conference and educational offering...

OSO — Twenty years ago, the Legislature passed a law governing how statewide resources would be deployed to wildfires and other major emergencies.

Over time, that got convoluted in legal interpretation. When the fatal mudslide struck Oso in March, that help wasn't there. They were denied by the state because nothing was on fire.

On Monday, a state commission that studied the mudslide released its final report, calling for an expansion of the wildfire mobilization law to include all emergencies...