The next meeting will be on july 10th at 5pm at the
Winthrop Library
Zoom invitations will be sent out the week before. Watch for the email. Hope to see you there.
Okanogan County Burn Restriction
Will go into effect June 6, 2025, at 12:01 AM.
**Allowing Campfires ONLY**
The County Commissioners implement burn restrictions and burn bans during times of high fire danger.
The Fire Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from the BOCC, DNR, Emergency Management, Fire Chiefs, Forest Service, and the Sheriff’s Office make recommendations to the Commissioners on implementing a burn restriction or burn ban. When a burn restriction/ban is in place it will be posted on the Emergency Management webpage at: www.okanogancounty.org/government/emergency_management.
Okanogan County uses a two-step system for restricting outdoor burning. The first is a Burn Restriction allowing recreational fires and no other outdoor burning. The second is when High Fire Conditions become present a County-Wide Burn Ban will be implemented, prohibiting all outdoor burning including recreational fires and the use of charcoal.
The Burn Restriction is activated by a set date June 15 to October 15 but may be implemented earlier or extended due to conditions.
The Burn Restriction prohibits ALL field/pile/rubbish/rule/slash/yard vegetation and non-emergent agricultural burning on private lands within the unincorporated areas of Okanogan County reducing the risk of wildfires.
Recreational Fires are ALLOWED during a burn restriction if used for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth, or similar purposes and the fuel being burned is other than rubbish. Fires used for debris disposal purposes are NOT considered recreational fires. See Recreational Fire definition below.
During a Burn Restriction if a Red Flag Warning is issued NO recreational fires will be permitted. For Red Flag Warnings please see the National Weather Service webpage at https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=otx&wwa=all
The Burn Ban is implemented when High Fire Conditions exist and when rescinded will revert to a Burn Restriction.
The Burn Ban prohibits all outdoor burning of combustible materials which may include, but are not limited to yard vegetation or waste, non-emergency agricultural burning, charcoal, exploding gun targets, and bullet tracer rounds.
Propane fire pits are allowed during a burn ban. Propane flames cannot be larger than 3 feet wide and 2 feet in height and not burned within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material.
(DNR burning restrictions may apply to your private property if you are assessed a DNR Fire Control tax. This can be found on your county tax statement).
Recreational Fire Definition:
Recreational fires shall be contained in a concrete, rock, or steel ring (made from non-combustible material), no larger than 3 feet in diameter and no less than 8 inches in height. The fire (flames) shall be no higher than 2 feet and not conducted within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material. Recreational fires SHALL be attended to at all times.
Fireworks are Illegal in unincorporated areas of the county. County Code
On the Colville Reservation contact Mt. Tolman Fire Center for burning rules/restrictions, 509-634-3100
Visit the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest or the Colville National Forest Websites for fire danger and outdoor burning restrictions for lands managed by the Forest Service.
For Air Quality burn bans go to DOE and climate information.
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If you do see a wildfire, call 911 or Okanogan County Sheriff's Dispatch at 509-422-7232 option 4.
REMEMBER when reporting a wildfire Location, Location, Location, know your surroundings.
DNR 1-800-323-BURN(2876)
https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/firedanger/
U.S. Forest Service Methow Valley Ranger District 509-996-4003
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=fsbdev3_053600
STAY INFORMED
Signing up for Okanogan County Alerts assures that you receive time-sensitive notifications for hazards affecting your specific home address or workplace.
When Opting-IN:
You must provide an Okanogan County street address and verify the address before we can notify you via your chosen method(s) (Email/Phone/Text).
If you have already Opted-IN, log into your account at least once a year to verify your account information.
If you can't remember your login information, please contact us at (509) 422-7206 or to obtain your username and/or reset your password.
New Account:
OPT-IN HERE
To update or verify your Information:
LOGIN HERE
Additional Options:
To view a list of Okanogan County Notifications ONLINE go to Current Everbridge Notifications.
To view notifications in Spanish, select "Spanish" from the Language Translate drop-down menu (upper right corner of webpage).
To receive non-emergency or county-wide text notifications issued anywhere in Okanogan County, text OKCOUNTY to 888777.
To receive notifications about a city/town in Okanogan County text the zip code to 888777.
Text notifications can be stopped by texting STOP to 888777.
Audio Board
If you missed a call and would like to hear the recorded notifications dial (509) 740-0602. This is a recorded message (not a live person).
Facebook
Follow "Okanogan County Emergency Management" on Facebook where notifications and good-to-know information are posted, along with photos and videos.
We DO NOT monitor Facebook 24 hours a day. For a quicker response, email us at em@co.okanogan.wa.us or call (509) 422-7206.
Self-Responsibility
Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) will use all means possible to notify you of any hazards in order for you to take action regarding your safety.
DO NOT WAIT for OCEM or First Responders to notify you of a hazard; take action if needed.
SELF-RESPONSIBILITY is your first resource.
If it is an Emergency call 9-1-1 for a Non-Emergency call (509)422-7232 and select option 4 (Okanogan County Dispatch)
OCEC WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN
Okanogan County Electric Cooperative Moved to 'Red' Status of Wildfire Mitigation Plan
(7-2-2025)
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for North Central Washington, including the OCEC service territory within the Methow Valley (Zone 704). As a result of this red flag warning, OCEC is moving to the “Red” level of our Wildfire Mitigation Plan.
OCEC Operations has set all automated line reclosers, including the Substations, to “non-reclose” following our Wildfire Mitigation Plan. Disabling reclosers, either in elevated fire risk or red flag warning conditions, has the effect of both lengthening the duration and increasing the number of outages while minimizing the risk of fire. A recloser is an automatic high-voltage electric switch that operates much like a circuit breaker in your home. When the reclosers are set on “non-reclose” the breaker will operate/open, and the line will be de-energized until OCEC crews can manually inspect the line for problems. Once the line is manually inspected and is confirmed all-clear, the line will be re-energized. This will possibly create longer, more frequent outages during these times.
Taking these proactive fire safety steps may cause more frequent and longer outages, but we hope that our members will understand that the benefits of reduced fire risk outweigh the increase in possible outages.
When the red flag warning expires, or conditions change enough to warrant it, the OCEC Operations crew will return to “Yellow” level, and OCEC will update our website to reflect the current status. For more information, you can view the alert at Spokane Weather Service (offsite link), and you can review our full Wildfire Mitigation Plan at www.ocec.coop.
To report an outage, please call (509) 996-2228.
If you have not already signed up for our text message alerts, please call
(509) 996-2228 during office hours or go to the Member Services section of ocec.coop to sign up for the text alerts.
We encourage all members to have their own wildfire preparedness plan in place including establishing your own loss of power emergency plan for your household.
Below is our Wildfire Mitigation plan weather alert matrix.
