Auburn emergency manager urges residents to sign up for alerts, prepare for wildfire smoke and travel impacts from World Cup

Auburn Emergency Manager Matthew Colpitts urged residents in late May to prepare now for a hotter, drier summer that will raise wildfire and smoke risks and to expect heavier traffic during the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Colpitts told the City of Auburn podcast that forecasting points to an El Niño pattern that is likely to increase wildfire risk in western Washington and that many parts of Auburn—such as West Hill and Lee Hill—sit in the wildland-urban interface. "We are expecting an El Nino, so it'll be a hotter and drier summer than historical averages," he said, and recommended that residents "sign up for alerts" from King or Pierce counties and from other jurisdictions where they might work.

The nut of the preparedness advice was straightforward: review and update seasonal emergency kits, create defensible space around homes, remove flammable debris in gutters and yards, and monitor air quality. Colpitts recommended both a short "grab-and-go" kit and a two-week stay-at-home kit and suggested simple home filtration fixes for smoke: "Air conditioners with filters in them are great," and low-cost filter boxes can be built with off-the-shelf filters and a household fan.

Colpitts also pointed residents to official sources for current air quality information—AQI.gov and National Weather Service notices—and emphasized protecting vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions, when AQI worsens.

On large-event planning, Colpitts said Auburn is not hosting World Cup matches but will see regional effects such as heavier road and transit traffic because of nearby host cities. "We are not a host city," he said, "but the ICS and emergency managers in the region are either directly or sort of secondarily ready to support should events happen." He added that the state Emergency Operations Center may be activated for event support and that Auburn staff will participate in regional communications and mutual-aid roles.

Colpitts advised practical travel planning on match days—allow extra time, consider remote work if possible and be patient on the roads. He described coordination with the Valley Regional Fire Authority and neighboring cities to align messaging and operations, and said translated emergency messages prepared for international visitors are one lasting benefit of the regional planning.

The episode closed with a reminder to sign up for local alerts and to take concrete actions—checking gutters, trimming vegetation, assembling or updating kits and reviewing neighborhood defensible-space resources offered by the fire authority.

Next steps: residents who need help signing up for alerts or connecting with assistance were told to contact the city emergency-preparedness office via the Auburn.gov website.