BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Over a dozen counties and a tribe are prepping their communities as wildfire season gets underway.

Thirteen counties including Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan are partnering to promote a “Ready, Set, Go!” evacuation campaign.

The three level-format mirrors the numbers of previous emergency preparedness models but clarifies what they mean with the new words.

Wildfire season in western Washington is starting earlier this year as Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said firefighters were prepping in April for future blazes. The Washington State Department of Ecology also declared a drought for the fourth year in a row in the state, predicting a hotter and drier summer ahead of us.

Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management’s Deputy Director Matt Klein voiced his support for the campaign.

“‘Ready, Set, Go!’ continues to be the best program for quickly communicating what the public needs to do during times of crisis in easy-to-understand language.  Having the same message for disaster response locally and across most of the state means that when visitors come to enjoy the beauty and outdoor recreation here in Whatcom County this summer, it’s more likely they’ll know what to do if they get an alert,” Klein said.

The evacuation campaign is intended for all hazards, and local authorities were using “Ready, Set, Go!” for last year’s flooding.