How to prepare for wildfires — now and for the future (axios.com)

Wildfires demand action on radically different timelines: during the crisis, before the next fire season and over the coming decades. Why it matters: Climate change is worsening the underlying risk, making everything from evacuation plans to forest management and cutting emissions part of the response. Driving the news: America's northwestern corner is having a record-breaking wildfire year, and the traditional fire season still has months to go. "Even if not a single other acre or structure burned, we already have the most active fire season in recorded history for the Pacific Northwest," said climate scientist Daniel Swain in an Aug. 18 virtual presentation . "Washington and Oregon together [are] already breaking their historical record for the most area burned in any full wildfire season." My thought bubble: My family lives in Spokane, Washington. They don't live in the neighborhoods where hundreds of homes burned Aug. 1, but the disaster was a wake-up call because they also live near forested land. In the immediate aftermath, we feverishly discussed making an evacuation plan. We haven't followed through. Our conversations have shifted back to normal life. "If we perceive that we can't manage a chronic risk, we will tend to manage our fear about that risk," said Claire Rapp, a Colorado State University scientist specializing in behavioral science and wildfires. That doesn't mean wholly denying the risk, she said, but "simply deprioritizing it and managing our fear of it." The big picture: The challenge is that wildfire preparedness operates on different timelines, with different actions needed at every stage. During an active fire: Evacuating people, fighting fires and protecting communities from smoke. Before the next fire season: Making homes less vulnerable, reducing nearby fuels and improving community preparedness and evacuation plans. Over the coming decades: Managing forests and mitigating climate change through government action at the local, national and even global levels. Zoom in: Rapp recommends writing down what you'll need to do during an evacuation before that chaotic moment arrives, including preparing a go-bag and figuring out how you'll quickly gather medications and pets. Think of it as a psychological hedge against panic. "To the extent that 'calm, deliberate, rational you' can prepare 'panicked you' for evacuation, you will be more effective," Rapp said. Zoom out: Preparing for next year's wildfire season means reducing the vulnerability of homes and communities. That includes surprisingly simple but important steps, like clearing flammable materials within 5 feet of your home and ensuring vents don't allow embers inside, said Matt Weiner, CEO of Megafire Action, a nonprofit focused on reducing catastrophic wildfire risk. Broader community measures include reducing nearby fuels and adopting building and land-use practices designed for wildfire-prone areas. Between the lines: Whenever a major wildfire erupts, attention inev