SALEM, Ore. – Five neighborhoods in and around Grants Pass joined the national Firewise program last year - the most of any single city in Oregon. The neighborhoods were among 182 communities across the state that conducted a variety of projects from cutting brush to thinning overcrowded stands of trees, to clearing brush away from evacuation routes and promoting education and outreach. This places Oregon in second place nationally for number of Firewise communities. The Oregon Department of Forestry manages the program in Oregon.
The new Firewise communities are:
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s National Fire Plan Coordinator, Jenna Trentadue, who manages the Firewise program in Oregon said, “Staff in our local ODF offices partner with fire departments to work with communities across the state to organize projects or activities that reduce wildfire risk. Through this process, those communities become designated as Firewise.”
To achieve the designation, communities must have at least eight participating dwelling units and conduct at least one event or activity related to reducing fire risk. Firewise is a nationwide program of the National Fire Protection Association.
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