Fire Safety Tips From Oregon Department of Forestry

PORTLAND, OR- Oregon ranks in the top states 5 in the country for fire safety, with more than 100 Firewise communities. The Oregon Department of Forestry has adopted the Firewise programs; this is a nationally recognized fire prevention program that encourages communities to create defensible space around homes and communities that will better protect them from threatening wildfires.

Besides Firewise, ODF offers statewide programs that support and compliment the Firewise philosophy. Communities develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans and individual homeowners take part in the State’s Urban Interface Fire Protection Act. The Act, also known as Senate Bill 360, is a self-certification program that requires homeowners to evaluate and prepare their property to withstand advancing wildfires.

These fire prevention programs represent one piece of the puzzle of Oregon’s “complete and coordinated fire prevention system” that includes collaboration in fire protection between state and federal agencies, forest landowners and workers, rural fire departments and the general public.

ODF offers the following tips to prevent human-caused wildfires.

1) Contact your local agency to find out if and where campfires are permitted.

2) If you do elect to have a campfire, the area should be completely cleared where the campfire is going to be built. Build the campfire away from grass, brush and overhanging trees. Completely encircle the fire pit with rocks and keep the fire small and manageable.

3) When the time comes to put the fire out, make sure you're using a lot of water. Have a couple of gallon milk jugs or a bucket filled with water close by. Ensure that if you've left the site, you've put the fire out completely. After drowning the fire, separate the wood with a shovel. The fire should show no signs of heat and coals should be cool to the touch.

"When fire season is no longer in effect, while we do get some rain in Oregon, we also have east wind events east of the Cascades mountains that tend to dry things out and increase fire danger," said ODF Fire Prevention Coordinator Tom Fields, "We advise to take caution when burning excess debris in the shoulder season."

More about The Oregon Department of Forestry

Established in 1911, the Department protects about 16 million acres of private, state and federal lands. On average, about 1,000 wildfires burn nearly 35,000 acres of forest and grazing land annually. The 2016 fire season was considered a success with less than 6,000 acres burned.

Learn more about the Fundamentals of Fire.

Image via Shutterstock