May 2020 has been designated as Wildfire Awareness Month in Oregon.  During the 2019 wildfire season, 250,000 acres of land in the Northwest were consumed by wildfire, with almost 80,000 acres burned in Oregon.  Each year over 70 percent of Oregon’s wildfires are started by people, usually by escaped debris burning and unattended campfires.

Federal, state and local Firefighting agencies are encouraging Oregonians to make sure their properties are protected from wildfire.  Now is a good time to promote defensible space around our homes before wildfires strike this summer.  Southwest Oregon, is in a drought.  Fire season started on May 1, 2020 and will continue at least until October 2020 with warmer, drier weather in July and August precipitating wildfires in our region.

According to the Oregon State Fire Marshall, embers can collect and ignite on the roof, in gutters and enter unscreened openings around the house.  Please keep your roofs, gutters and eaves free of all leaves, pine needles and other flammable debris.  Fire officials suggest removing dead vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around homes and other structures.  Trees and healthy plants don’t need to be removed.  However, trees should be pruned and grass kept short and green to keep fire on the ground and more manageable by fire crews.  Maintain a 5 foot fire-free area closest to your home using non-flammable landscaping material and fire resistant plants.  With most of us spending more time at home due to COVID-19, we can use the coming weeks to reduce fire risks and make our homes and communities safer.

Every year on the first Saturday of May, the Firewise program has a citywide Wildfire Community Preparedness Day where Firewise neighborhoods can dispose of yard waste.  This year, because of COVID-19, the event had to be cancelled.  However, you can dispose of your yard waste in Rogue Valley Disposal Green Garbage cans, take your waste to Rogue Disposal and Recycling at 8001 Table Rock Road in White City, or you can bring it to Hilton Landscape Supply, located at 8087 Blackwell Road, Central Point, Oregon where any sized load costs $10.

In Jacksonville many neighborhoods are in close proximity to forested land.  So it is extremely important that we residents work towards  prevention of wildfires.  If a wildfire occurs in Jacksonville, we want to be as prepared as possible by being part of a Firewise Neighborhood.  Firewise USA is a nationwide educational program that helps residents reduce the risks from wildfire around their homes by learning how to work together and take actions to prevent losses from fire.  Jacksonville’s existing Firewise neighborhoods are Gold Terrace, Westmont, Rich Gulch, Hangman, Valley Lane, Vineyard View and Timber Ridge.  One new neighborhood is in the process of obtaining Firewise certification: Wagon Trail.

Firewise techniques include minimizing the risk of home ignition by carefully landscaping around residential structures such as thinning trees and brush, choosing fire-resistant plants, selecting ignition-resistant building materials and positioning structures away from slopes.

If a fire occurs in Jacksonville or in the surrounding wooded areas, the Jacksonville Fire Department will be the first responders.  They always make their best efforts to deal with fires of any kind.  But brush fires, grass or forests are especially challenging.  It may take firefighters longer to find out about the fire if it starts in the woods.  They may not get called until the fire is threatening homes.  Also, wildfires grow in strength as they run uphill.  A fire in steep and hilly terrain makes it difficult to access the fire by truck or by foot.  If dozens of homes in your neighborhood are threatened, chances are that there are not enough firefighters, fire trucks or water supplies to protect every home.  There is no guarantee that firefighters will be able to protect your home during a wildfire.  This is why the Firewise program is so important.  It is your responsibility to protect your property before a fire threatens your area.  Taking action now means your home has a better chance of reducing fire damage.  The Jacksonville Fire Department fully supports the Firewise program.

For more information on Firewise, please contact Linda Davis, Jacksonville Firewise Coordinator, at 541-690-5688.