Fire Marshals from Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD), City of Spokane Fire Department (SFD), Spokane County, City of Cheney, City of Airway Heights, and City of Deer Park have all enacted the Fire Danger Burn Restriction.  Due to short-range weather forecast, along with the low amount of rainfall this spring in Spokane County and discussions with our area Fire Chief partners, we feel it is prudent to initiate Burn Restrictions for Spokane County until further notice.

Unauthorized open burning and unauthorized recreational fires are restricted until this order is lifted or unless otherwise permitted by law enforcement or authorized agencies.  Rule burns (burns without a written permit issued by DNR) and permit burns are prohibited by DNR within Spokane County. Campfires are only allowed in approved designated campgrounds.

Breathing smoke affects the respiratory system and is especially harmful to everyone and most especially, younger, and elderly generations, and those with heart and respiratory conditions.  Details, including photos of devices allowed/not allowed can be found here. 

On March 11th, Michael S. Regan was sworn in as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency replacing Andrew S. Wheeler.

Prior to his nomination as EPA Administrator, Michael Regan served as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Associate Vice President of U.S. Climate and Energy, and as Southeast Regional Director of the Environmental Defense Fund, and national program manager responsible for designing strategic solutions with industry and corporate stakeholders with the USEPA.

Other EPA administrative staff include Chief of Staff Dan Utech (1/20/2021) and Special Assistant to the Administrator John Lucey (1/20/2021).  The Deputy Administrator position is still vacant but 1/15/2021 Biden identified Janet McCabe as his nominee.  EPA’s administrative organization chart is available at https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/organization-chart-office-administrator.

On April 9th, President Biden announced Doug Parker is his nominee to lead OSHA, replacing Acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA Loren E. Sweatt . From the official announcement (link below)

Doug “previously served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, and was a member of the Biden-Harris transition team focused on worker health and safety issues. He also held positions as a senior policy advisor and special assistant at the Department of Labor. He currently serves as chief of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA)”.

President Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Key Members for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Labor, Department of Energy, and Department of Transportation | The White House

Other OSHA leaders include Chief of Staff Leah Ford (2/16/2021), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James Frederick (1/28/2021), Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pandemic and Emergency Response Joseph Hughes, Jr. (1/28/2021), and Deputy Assistant Secretary Amanda Edens (4/1/2021).  OSHA’s administrative organization chart is available at https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/OSHAorgchart.pdf.

Beth Hodgson presented today at the Safety Fest of the Great Northwest virtual conference on “Chemical PFAS – Health & Remediation Update”.   Polyfluroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals with a carbon and fluorine atom backbone that are “forever” chemicals.  Copies of the handouts, EPA December 2021 guidance, and EPA FACT sheet are available here.

• Chemical PFAS – Health & Remediation Update (handouts)
• EPA Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS 201218
• EPA PFAS InfoPage