County Briefs

Central Mason has training exercise

Central Mason Fire and EMS participated in a training burn Saturday at 920 Dearborn Ave. in Shelton.

According to a news release, the burn occurred at an old building that belonged to Harvest Foursquare Church. It was an opportunity for CMFE staff and volunteers to train on a live fire and learn how unpredictable fire in a building can be.

To have a training burn, guidelines set by the state include permitting through the City of Shelton and the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency. It must also follow specific Labor and Industries standards and the National Fire Protection Association rules and regulations to maintain a safe working and training environment for members and the public.

CMFE said in the news release that it understands the burns can create a challenge with road closures, smokey conditions and extra traffic in neighborhoods. CMFE thanked residents for understanding and CMFE was also able to take some time to educate kids on what the fire truck does and show them some of the equipment they use.

For any questions, contact Chief Jeff Snyder at [email protected].

Election candidate can file May 15-19

Candidates interested in running for positions in the 2023 primary and general election can file May 15 to 19 at the Mason County Auditor's Office.

According to a news release, 72 positions are open for filing. Positions on the ballot include Superior Court judge for a one-year unexpired term, Shelton City Council, and board positions for cemetery, fire, hospital, port, school and water districts. A list of offices up for election is at http://www.tinyurl.com/mws36jux.

Filing can be done online and opens at 9 a.m. Monday and will be available until 4 p.m. Friday.

The link to file online is http://www.masoncountywaelections.gov.

Questions can be directed to the Elections Department at 360-427-9679 ext. 470.

Sign-ups for Wildfire Ready Neighbors

The state Department of Natural Resources and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz encourage state residents to take steps to make homes more resilient to wildfire.

According to a news release, Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed May as Wildfire Awareness Month, noting state residents all share the responsibility to prevent and prepare for wildfires. Saturday is National Community Wildfire Preparedness Day.

DNR's Wildfire Ready Neighbors program has expanded to Mason, Thurston and Pierce counties this year in addition to the six counties already in the program, Okanogan, Chelan, Spokane, Yakima, Kittitas and Klickitat.

Residents in the state can go to wildfireready.com to sign up to get a free wildfire ready plan to help make property more resilient to wildfire, and residents in Wildfire Ready Neighbors counties can also sign up for a free wildfire ready home visit from a wildfire worker who can give advice and recommendations about wildfire preparedness.

Coalition focuses on shellfish problems

The Lower Hood Canal Watershed Coalition's meeting Monday focused on shellfish restrictions in Hood Canal.

According to a news release, portions of Annas Bay, the Lilliwaup area and the Tahuya area have been identified as not meeting water quality standards and shellfish harvesting must be restricted. Mason County has the only three areas out of 115 shellfish growing areas in the state that were listed for downgrade.

Belfair woman injured on Route 16

A 65-year-old Belfair woman rolled her car Friday on eastbound state Route 16 near Port Orchard.

According to a Washington State Patrol news release, the woman was eastbound in a 2008 Jeep on Route 16 when the Jeep left the road to the left, rolled over the median and flipped onto its top in the westbound lanes. The westbound lanes were blocked for an hour.

The woman was taken to Tacoma General Hospital. The release said drugs or alcohol were a factor.

ATV rider injured in Tahuya State Forest

North Mason Regional Fire Authority was dispatched to an ATV accident Saturday afternoon in Tahuya State Forest.

According to a Facebook post, the location of the patient forced NMRFA to use their off-road vehicles. Firefighters extracted the patient within an hour and transported the victim to Bremerton National Airport to be airlifted to medical care. It is the second ORV accident NMRFA has responded to recently.