by guest blogger Vickie Sheehan

We’ve all seen them - roadside memorials to honor the loss of a loved one. Flowers, pictures, stuffed animals and crosses - public mementos of grief and sadness.

It’s hard to look at them and think that someone lost their life at that spot on the roadway.

We understand how hard it is to lose a loved one on our highways. We’ve also lost co-workers on our roadways and we know how important a memorial is to honor them and mourn our loss. We also realize (all too well) that the shoulder of a state highway is a very dangerous place to be and placing a memorial on the side of the road is a visual distraction that could cause another heartbreaking crash.
We have embraced a couple of different approaches to requests for memorials from families and friends of those who have died in highway crashes. To minimize the safety and liability risk to the drivers, we encourage live plantings of wild flowers, trees or shrubs as a permanent “living” memorial. Temporary ground-mounted plaques are another option.

To memorialize victims of collisions caused by drunk driving, the DUI Memorial Sign Program was created to place signs along the roadways bearing the victim’s name and the words "Please Don't Drink And Drive". Along non-interstate highways, we place the signs near the scene of the collision. For the Interstate system, we can install one sign along the on ramp nearest to the collision scene. We embraced this program as a way to join together with citizens of this state in the ongoing efforts to combat driving under the influence.

We know what it’s like to lose a loved one on our highways and how hard it is to go through the grieving process. We share the pain and loss and want to help in a way that makes our highways safe for everyone.

The WSDOT Office of Emergency Management just sent out its first fire warning.

This email stated “Today, the National Weather Service has updated the Fire Weather Watch to a Warning (Red Flag Warning) today until 10 p.m. tonight for Klickitat County due to low humidity and gusty winds in the Columbia Gorge area.” According to the Weather Service, a Red Flag Warning means critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds and low relative humidity will create explosive fire growth potential.

We do our best to manage the grasses and other roadside vegetation as weather heats up. We also include safety features, such as water access, in roadway design, so emergency response agencies have access to fire-fighting materials.

But, weather conditions can change quickly. The human element also comes in when a motorist tosses lit debris, specifically lit cigarettes. Tossing litter, including cigarette butts, can result in a $1,025 fine. (See more from the Office of the State Fire Marshal)

If you see a fire, please report it to Emergency Services. You can also report litter violators to the Department of Ecology's litter hotline at 1-866-LITTER1 or file a report online.
Here are some other ways you can find out about fire danger in your area:

• Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fire Twitter feed.
• DNR's Fire hotline is 1-800-562-6010
• DNR fire danger by county map