Dry and windy summers can result in an increase in wildfires, said Will Boettner, a fire education outreach coordinator in the Travis County Fire Marshal’s office, at a news conference held May 9. These factors, along with the spring rain that caused rich vegetation, are reasons why 2018 is predicted to be an above-average year for wildfires in Central Texas, according to Boettner and Lt. Steve Gibbons from the Austin Fire Department. Although all of Travis County is at risk for wildfires, certain areas of Northwest Austin, such as Jester Estates or Lakewood, are at particularly high risk because of dense vegetation and rolling hills, said Captain Josh Anderson of AFD’s wildfire division. He said fires can travel quickly when they begin at the bottom of a hill. “Heat rises and flames tend to lend heat to the vegetation that’s farther up. [Flames] preheat the [vegetation] and dry it out. The steeper the hill, the more of the tree heating effect you’re going to get from trees burning below,” Anderson said. Gibbons said Central Texas is a fire ecosystem, which means it is dependent on fire to “keep the ecological balance in check.” However, fires are now suppressed to protect homes, so Central Texas ended up with a stockpile of “fuel,” or vegetation, where it would not have been before, he said. Residents should prepare for the possibility of wildfires near their homes and adopt firewise principles, he said. “Everybody needs to start adapting to our environment; it’s a fire environment,” Gibbons said. Jarred Thomas, the director of the Williamson County Office of Emergency Management, said residents can prepare for wildfires by remembering Ready, Set, Go!, a nationwide program that offers a step-by-step plan for fire preparedness available at www.wildlandfirersg.org. Thomas also said the best way to notify residents of a wildfire is by  phone, so he recommended residents register for WarnCentralTexas.org, a regional notification system created by the Capital Area Council of Governments that serves Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis and Williamson counties.