Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
Three Santiam Canyon fire departments are receiving state aid to assist with wildfire risk reduction.
The grants are part of a $2.7 million investment the Office of the State Fire Marshal is making in the program at the local and county levels. Agencies in 25 of Oregon’s 36 counties received funding, which was allocated as part of Senate Bill 762.
The bill, signed by Governor Kate Brown in 2021, was designed to serve as a comprehensive wildfire preparedness and resiliency bill amid the fires that have plagued the state in the past few years, including the Labor Day 2020 blazes that affected huge swathes of the Canyon.
The Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection District, the Lyons Rural Fire Protection District and the Scio Rural Fire Protection District all will receive $10,000 grants.
Possible uses for the funds include promoting wildfire-specific community risk reduction efforts, community education, yard debris recycling days, curbside chipping programs, equipment purchases, defensible space projects, home assessments, media campaigns, signage, fuel mitigation programs, Firewise community support and staff to support local efforts.
In addition to the grants to individual agencies, $10,000 apiece also went to mid-valley emergency management agencies in Marion, Linn, Lincoln, Benton, Yamhill and Polk counties as well as counties throughout the state.
The OSFM’s fire risk reduction specialists worked with local community wildfire protection planning groups (CWPP) to determine where funding was needed. The selection process was based on actionable projects, underserved communities, and the risk of fire in or near communities.
A CWPP is a plan developed by a community in an area at risk from wildfire. The community wildfire protection planning process is the collaboration between communities and agencies interested in reducing wildfire risk.
