Klickitat County 9-1-1 Dispatch

08/27/2026

Update to Previous Avery Fire Evacuation Notifications:

August 27th, 2026, 8:30AM - The previous Level 2 and 1 Evacuation Notifications associated with the Avery Fire have been rescinded.

Klickitat County residents should continue to monitor this page, and the Klickitat County and/or Department of Emergency Mangement's Webpages for future updates

There are No Active Evacuation Notifications within Klickitat County, and the Red Cross Shelter located at the Klickitat County Fairgrounds has been closed

Interactive Map URL - https://sartopo.com/m/NCF1MK5

08/27/2026

Aug 26th, 2026, 9:00PM Due to current fire and wind conditions, Wishram has been been upgraded to a Level 2 - GET SET evacuation status. Be set to evacuate at a moment's notice, or evacuate now if you feel unsafe.

A Temporary Evacuation Point for Information, and Sheltering is being established at the Goldendale Middle School, 520 E Collins Street, Goldendale, Washington

Evacuees should not travel Westbound on Highway 14 due to smoke and First Responders in the area.

Interactive Map URL - https://sartopo.com/m/NCF1MK5

08/27/2026

Avery Fire Update 8/26/2026 8:00pm

Hwy 14 is closed between Avery Road (milepost 89) and the Hwy 14/Hwy 97 Interchange (milepost 100).

Avery Fire Update - Aug 26th, 2026

Due to changing conditions and fire behaivor, the Wishram Hieghts Evcuation Level has been UPGRADED to Level 3 - GO NOW

Those who are Evacuating should travel East on HWY 14, as westbound traffic is dangerous due to smoke, fire and First Responders on the road way

A temporary shelter is being established, once a location is finalized, an update will be sent and posted

interactive Map URL - https://sartopo.com/m/NCF1MK5

08/27/2026

Additionally, SR 14 is closed between Mile Marker 89 near Avery Rd and Mile Marker 84 near Dalles Mountain Rd.

The Klickitat County Sheriff's Office has issue Evacuation Notifications for a wildfire near Avery Park, Highway 14

Level 3 - GO Now - Near Avery park
Level 2 - Get Set - In an Around Wishram Hieghts
Level 1 - Get Ready - In an Around Wishram

Please Use URL https://sartopo.com/m/NCF1MK5 for an Interactive Map

08/25/2026

With deep sadness, the Wishram Fire Department would like to inform our community of the passing of our Assistant Chief, Jeff Augustus.

On August 17, the Wishram Fire Department responded to Jeff’s residence. Upon arrival, we sadly found that Jeff had passed away.

Jeff was a dedicated member of the Wishram Fire Department, giving 20 years of service to our department and community. His commitment, friendship, and dedication will be deeply missed by his fellow firefighters, family, friends, and the entire Wishram community.

Memorial Service

📅 Sunday, August 30, 2026
⏰ 1:00 PM
📍 Wishram Fire Hall

We invite family, friends, fellow firefighters, and community members to join us as we come together to remember, honor, and celebrate Jeff’s life and his many years of service to the Wishram community.

Rest easy, Chief.
Your service, friendship, and memory will never be forgotten. ❤️🚒

Gone but never forgotten.

08/19/2026

Letter of Commendation for Melanie

I am writing to formally commend you for your exceptional performance on August 16, 2026, during a critical incident involving a missing six-year-old boy from Wishram.

Despite having only recently completed your initial Communications Officer training, you demonstrated an outstanding level of composure, professionalism, and dedication while handling this challenging incident. In particular, you remained on the telephone for approximately 25 minutes with the child's eight-year-old sibling, patiently and skillfully gathering vital information that was critical to the response.

Your ability to remain calm, focused, and compassionate while communicating with a young child during such a stressful situation is especially commendable. You demonstrated excellent judgment and professionalism while obtaining important information and maintaining the child's trust and cooperation.

Situations involving missing children are among the most difficult and time-sensitive incidents that emergency communications personnel may encounter. Your performance demonstrated that you are already applying the skills and training necessary to make a meaningful difference when our community and responders need us most.

You did a wonderful job, Melanie. Your performance on this incident reflects great credit upon you and the Klickitat County 9-1-1 Dispatch Team. Your composure, professionalism, and commitment to providing exceptional service deserve recognition.

Please accept my sincere appreciation and commendation for your outstanding work. I am proud of the way you handled yourself during this incident and look forward to seeing you continue to grow and succeed as a member of our 9-1-1 Dispatch team.

Pictured: Jeff, Director and Melanie, Communications Officer

08/18/2026

Volunteer by Title. Firefighter by Commitment.

Today, on National Volunteer Firefighters Recognition Day, we recognize the men and women who answer the call, not because it is their full-time job, but because serving their community is a commitment they have chosen to make.
And what a commitment it is.

Across the United States, about 65% of firefighters are volunteers. In many communities, particularly rural areas, volunteer firefighters are a critical part of the emergency response system.

Here at home, we’ve been reminded of that in a very real way.

This fire season has already asked so much of our region’s fire service. When fires ignite and resources are stretched across multiple incidents, volunteer firefighters leave jobs, families, dinners, weekends and sleep behind. They put on their gear, climb into an apparatus and go where they are needed.

They train. They respond. They work alongside career firefighters, law enforcement, emergency communications, emergency management and countless other partners.

For those of us at Klickitat County 9-1-1 Dispatch, they are also the voices and units our Communications Officers work with every day, part of the network of responders that makes public safety possible across our region.

To every volunteer firefighter who has stepped forward during this incredibly difficult fire season, and to those who quietly answer calls in their communities every day:

Thank you for showing up. Thank you for serving. And thank you for being there when your neighbors need you most.

08/07/2026

August 2026 Team Member of the Month is Caroline!!

Caroline is recognized for her outstanding work, attention to detail with paperwork, and great sense of humor. For consistently performing her duties at a high level and playing a key role in making trainees feel welcome. For proactively providing new team members with information and additional training, particularly around paperwork, even though she modestly downplays her excellent training abilities.

Thank you for being a valuable member of our TEAM!

Pictured is Director, Jeff and Communications Officer, Caroline