HORSEPLAY: Summer brings wildfire preparation, 4-H events

Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 8, 2026

HE WHO HESITATES is lost is a popular adage that’s proved true too many times for those faced with a fast-moving wildfire barreling toward their homes. People have perished because they waited too long to evacuate.

Lighting or humans usually start wildfires. When a wildfire is threatening your property, the cause doesn’t matter. What does is how quickly you take action to flee. Acting quickly and decisively is crucial considering we live in an area that has only one road — the mostly two-laned U.S. Highway 101 — everyone will be driving on to evacuate. Which makes it wise to evacuate at a Level 1, certainly by a Level 2 warning — and not waiting to a Level 3 mandatory evacuation — to leave.

When watching the news, I’m constantly dumbfounded at the sight of people standing in their yards or on streets watching an approaching wildfire that is less than 1 mile away! Foolishness! Just watch all the documentaries on recent fires in California to see all the cars (and their occupants) burnt to a crisp while stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic when trying to escape the embers.

You may have wondered what’s going on with the Clallam County Animal Disaster Plan a small group of volunteers and I were actively working on under the supervision of Emergency Management Coordinator Justine Chorley. The group’s main concern was a place to host displaced large and small animals left homeless by wildfire. After a state of emergency is declared, our plans included setting up temporary animal shelters. I wrote about our work and progress a number of times in my 2025 Horseplay columns.

In a September 2025 meeting, we were told the volunteers had completed our work on the plan. Chorley said she would finalize the plan, and from there, the review process would start.

In a March 2026 meeting, Chorley said she hadn’t completed the Animal Disaster Plan because her department was starting to update the County Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and, once completed, it will include the Animal Disaster Plan. Then the melded plans will begin the review process, which includes the Sheriff’s Office, upper management, county lawyers and us, Clallam County residents.

Once the review process is completed, it will be submitted to the County Commissioners for approval, and then it will be part of the county’s CEMP plan. And that likely won’t occur until 2027 or 2028!

I’ve received no news or further updates from Chorley since March. In September, it will be a year since we were told our work on the plan was completed. Talk about taking the wind, thus the forward motion, out of my sails! To say I’m frustrated and disappointed is an understatement.

Bottom line, folks: If a wildfire threatens our homes, it’s up to each of us to make and prepare our own plan of action. Are you ready to evacuate within five minutes? I’ve heard several stories from those who had just a few minutes’ notice to escape a fire that had already descended on their neighborhood.

Do you have your to-go bag packed and ready to grab? One that includes a change of clothes, copies of important documents, and three days of food and water for each family member, including animals? Extra cash to pay for gas if there’s an extended power outage?

Do you have a plan in place where you can go and stay that’s out of the area? An out-of-area emergency contact you all have in case you’re separated?

During fire season, it’s recommended to always have at least a half tank of fuel in your vehicle.

Let’s hope we never have to face such a disaster. I think we can all agree, with all the disasters currently occurring worldwide, it benefits each of us to: Be prepared, be aware and be ready to flee!

Washington’s 2026 wildfire season has been one of the most destructive on record, with unprecedented fire activity, large burn areas and major evacuations (theglobalstatistics.com/washington-wildfire-statistics). When I looked at my Watch Duty app this week, I was shocked to see how many active wildfires are currently burning — with zero containment —in the states of Washington, Oregon, Utah and Colorado. For real-time, incident-specific details, including evacuation notices and recent updates, get the Watch Duty App (https://app.watchduty.org).

Another go-to resource is InciWeb (https://inciweb.wildfire.gov).

Wondering about the source of the smoke-filled air you’re breathing? Check out the Washington Smoke Blog (https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/2026).

Neon Riders 4-H

Neon Riders’ 4-H leader Kate Newton said, “We had a great show June 26-28 despite the downpour Friday during the dressage classes!”

High point awards

4-H In-Hand (classes like lunge line, ground driving, etc)

High Point Champion — Kenzi Winters

High Point Reserve Champion — Baylee Spence

4-H Walk / Trot Riders

High Point Champion — Addie Teal

High Point Reserve Champion — Aubree Welchel

4-H Novice / Maiden Riders

High Point Champion — Lela Bankson

High Point Reserve Champion (tie) — Alexis Guethrie

High Point Reserve Champion (tie) — Hailey Walberg

High Point Reserve Champion (tie) — Mackenzie Moore

4-H English Riders

High Point Champion — Katelynn Sharpe

High Point Reserve Champion — Ellie Adamire

4-H Western Riders

High Point Champion — Paisley Morris

High Point Reserve Champion — Elise Sirguy

Open classes (not limited to 4-H):

Adult Riders

High Point Champion — Jessica Major

High Point Reserve Champion — Katherine Marchant

Open Youth Riders

High Point Champion — Autumn Silva

High Point Reserve Champion — Phoebe DeBoard

Open Walk/Trot Riders

High Point Champion — Clare Wenneger

High Point Reserve Champion — Jozie Mills

Remember to support 4-H and horse club youths at the JeffCo Fair in Port Townsend Aug. 14-16 and Clallam County Fair Aug. 20-23 in Port Angeles.

The Barn Dance & Fundraiser will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 29 to benefit Olympic Peninsula Equine Network’s 20th anniversary of rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming neglected, abused and abandoned horses.

Tickets are $55 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets, phone 360-460-7750 or email olypenequinenet@gmail.com. The dance will be held at 251 Roupe Road, Sequim.

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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also call her at 360-460-6299.