July 6, 2011
Beginning at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, forest and range lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry – Northeast Oregon District went into fire season. This includes private, state, county, municipal, and tribal lands in Union, Baker, Wallowa, and Umatilla counties along with small portions of Malheur, Morrow, and Grant counties.
“Good spring precipitation has created excellent conditions for grass and brush growth.” says Mark Jacques, La Grande Unit Forester for the Oregon Department of Forestry. “Although most fuels are still green at this point, as these fuels cure through the summer, the potential exists for hazardous burning conditions with extreme rates of spread.”
During fire season in northeast Oregon:
• Burning permits are required on all private-owned forest and range lands within the Northeast Forest Protection District for Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). Contact the local ODF office in La Grande, Baker City, Wallowa, or Pendleton to acquire a burning permit.
• Landowners who conducted burning of slash piles last fall and this past spring are encouraged to check these piles and ensure that they are completely out and all heat is gone. It is not uncommon for recently burned slash piles to have heat remaining in them for several months after the actual burning of the piles.
• Logging and other industrial operations must meet requirements for fire prevention, such as fire tools, water supply, and watchman service when those operations are occurring on private lands protected by ODF. Contact your local Stewardship Forester at ODF offices for more information.
• Campfires must be DEAD OUT! Recreationists are reminded that campfires need to be attended and fully extinguished before being left. Get permission from the landowner prior to starting a campfire.
Above average snowpack and below average temperatures has delayed implementation of fire season, however the extended forecast calls for warmer and drier conditions, dictating a need to enact fire prevention measures across the Northeast Oregon District.
For further information, contact the Oregon Department of Forestry at these local offices:
La Grande Unit (541) 963-3168
Baker City Sub-Unit (541) 523-5831
Wallowa Unit (541) 886-2881
Pendleton Unit (541) 276-3491
To report a fire, dial 9-1-1.
For information on the weekends call the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center in La Grande, (541) 963-7171
Christie Shaw
ODF Northeast Oregon District – Wallowa Unit
July 6, 2011
Source: Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center
Firefighters from the US Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District responded quickly to a wildfire that started three miles southwest of Sisters on Tuesday afternoon. The fire grew to 11 acres before crews were able to stop its progress, and was 50 percent contained by Tuesday night.
Fire investigators discovered evidence pointing to the use of fireworks in a dispersed camping area as the cause. No suspects have been identified at this time, and anyone with information should call the Sisters Ranger District.
This incident scene is currently staffed with five engines, three hand crews, and two dozers. Crews also received assistance during the day from two helicopters and one load of retardant from an air tanker. The fire is burning in ponderosa pine/shrub vegetation in an area just west of the Rooster Rock Fire that burned over 6,000 acres last year.
Fireworks are always illegal on federal public lands and state parks, even on the 4th of July, and people found using or possessing fireworks on public lands can receive a fine and can be held responsible for fire suppression and rehabilitation costs in the event that fireworks use causes a wildfire.
With conditions warming on the High Desert, fire officials want to take this time to remind visitors and residents of Central Oregon to be careful with fire. Vegetation is drying quickly, and the lighter fuels like grass and shrubs can be very receptive to an ignition source. Everyone should make sure to extinguish cigarettes inside vehicles and be sure campfires are “dead out” before leaving a site.
July 6, 2011
Areas protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s West Oregon District – including Lincoln and Benton County, western Polk County and the SW corner of Yamhill County – will enter fire season at 1:00 a.m. Monday July 11, 2011
Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
July 6, 2011
ODF’s Northeastern Oregon District entered fire season on Wednesday morning July 6, and today the National Weather Service in Pendleton issued a Fire Weather Watch for portions of northern Umatilla County extending into Washington state.
The Fire Weather Watch is recommending caution on Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening as a cold front is predicted to move through northeastern Oregon, producing windy conditions with very low humidity. The affected regions are northern Umatilla County, and the lower Columbia Basin and southern Columbia Basin in Washington.
Wind gusts of 45 mph are predicted, with relative humidity below 20 percent in the region. These factors could contribute to rapid wildfire spread if an ignition occurs. Please exercise caution with potential fire sources during this event.
Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
July 6, 2011
Firefighters pulled containment lines together on the Beals Creek Fire overnight and will work throughout the day Wednesday to strengthen those trails before calling the 80-acre fire fully contained. Crews have begun mopping up around the perimeter of the fire to prevent further spread.
Resources on the fire today include 108 firefighters, seven engines and four water tenders. Two helicopters are standing by should fire activity increase and test containment lines this afternoon.
The fire was reported at about 10:30 p.m. Monday, July 4th in a remote location between Canyonville and Days Creek. Firefighters from Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) and surrounding rural fire departments discovered a five acre fire spreading rapidly in one-year old logging slash, timber and young trees. By Tuesday morning the fire had grown to about 55 acres and had peaked to its current size of 80 acres late Tuesday afternoon.
Cooperating agencies on the fire include DFPA, Coos Forest Protective Association, the Oregon Department of Forestry, landowners and several rural fire departments.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding the cause of the fire is asked to contact DFPA at (541) 672-6507 or the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 440-4471.
Follow DFPA on twitter at www.twitter.com/DouglasFPA or at their website at http://www.dfpa.net/
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Tom Fields
Public Information Officer
Douglas Forest Protective Association
July 5, 2011
Two Cal Fire air tankers have joined Oregon forces in battling the Beals Creek Fire east of Canyonville. Size estimate has been revised to 65-70 acres. Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) is leading the firefighting effort on the blaze, which was reported Monday evening. Burning on steep, rugged ground, the fire is dislodging debris down the slope and creating a hazard for firefighters.
Two DFPA and three private hand crews are working the blaze, and two water bucket-slinging helicopters are dousing the flames from above. The fire is currently about 75 percent contained. Cause remains under investigation.
With the declaration of fire season by Oregon Department of Forestry’s Northeast Oregon District on the morning of July 6, all but the northwestern Oregon districts will be in fire season.
July 5, 2011
July 5, 2011
Just when everyone thought the fireworks were over, a fire east of Canyonville sent firefighters scrambling into the hills near Days Creek late Monday night. The Beals Creek Fire, located about three miles southwest of Days Creek, was reported at about 10:30 p.m. Monday night and is currently estimated at more than 75 acres this morning. Fire crews and engines from Douglas Forest Protective Association and several fire departments from south Douglas County responded.
The fire is burning in logging slash and timber in steep, rugged terrain not fit for bulldozers. Firefighting hand crews worked throughout the night to scratch a fire trail around the flames. The fire remains uncontained.
Close to 100 firefighters are slated to work the fire today with the support of one helicopter, one bulldozer, seven fire engines and four water tenders. Oregon Department of Forestry and several landowners are assisting in the effort.
Cause of the fire is under investigation. Anyone with information regarding the cause of the fire is asked to contact DFPA at 541-672-6507 or the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 541-440-4471.
Fire season is currently in effect. All outdoor debris burning has been suspended. Increasing summer temperatures are causing fire danger to rise and fire professionals are asking the public’s cooperation in their vigilance to prevent human caused fires.
June 28, 2011
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) South Cascade and Western Lane districts announced that wildfire season will begin on July 2 in all of Lane county as well as eastern Linn county. The South Cascade District protects more than 1.1 million acres of private and public lands from wildfire within the two-county area. The Western Lane District protects 750,650 acres in western Lane County.
“While the spring has been wet and cool, July and August will bring the typical dry and warm weather that will cause the grass and brush to cure out quickly, South Cascade District Forester Lena Tucker said. “We want the public to enjoy their summer weekend outings and always keep fire prevention in their thoughts.”
Entry into fire season imposes certain restrictions on recreational and work activities in the forest. Industrial operations are required to have firefighting equipment on site. Since restrictions may vary, it is advisable to check with the nearest ODF office for rules specific to the local area.
In eastern Linn County, Regulated-Use Closures will be in effect within one-half mile of the Quartzville Rd. from Green Peter Dam to the U.S. Forest Service’s Willamette National Forest boundary. Under this closure, campfires are permitted only at designated locations and on sand or gravel bars that lie between the water and high water marks where there is no vegetation. Use of fireworks is prohibited in this corridor.
Industrial Fire Precaution levels (IFPL) are part of ODF’s closure system that regulates industrial activity in the forests west of the Cascade Mountains. When fire season takes effect, the districts will be at an IFPL 1, which imposes the fewest restrictions and generally requires a fire watch at industrial forest operation sites. IFPL details can be found at: www.oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/ifpl.shtml
Wildfire facts
On the lands protected by the Department of Forestry, the 10-year average is about 1,100 wildfires burning a total of 26,000 acres. In a typical year, about two-thirds of the fires are caused by people and the remainder by lightning. Of the human-caused fires, fewer than half are caused by forest landowners and operators. And operators alone account for only about nine percent. Across all Oregon forest protection jurisdictions, about 2,600 wildfires burn roughly 239,000 acres annually on average
June 27, 2011
Forestlands within the Coos and Douglas Forest Protection Association Districts will enter Fire Season at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29, 2011.
More information on Oregon Department of Forestry districts in Fire Season, Industrial Fire Precaution Levels, and Public Use Restrictions is available on the department’s website at:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/precautionlevel.shtml
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Jeri Chase
ODF Public Affairs Specialist
PH: 503-945-7201
June 24, 2011
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District, which protects forestlands in Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Hood River, Wasco, Wheeler, Grant, Harney, Moro, and Gilliam Counties (and portions of Lake and Umatilla Counties), will enter Fire Season at 6 a.m. on Monday, June 27, 2011.
For more information, visit their website at: www.oregon.gov/odf/centraloregon .
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Jeri Chase
ODF Public Affairs Representative
PH: 503-945-7201
June 22, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHWEST OREGON NEWS MEDIA
June 22, 2011
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY
SOUTHWEST OREGON DISTRICT
5286 Table Rock RD
Central Point, OR 97502
Contact:
Greg Alexander, Medford Unit Forester, (541) 664-3328
Rick Dryer, Grants Pass Unit Forester, (541) 474-3152
Fire season on forestlands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Southwest District begins July 1. The fire danger level is currently “low” (green) but will move to “moderate” (blue) on Friday, July 1. The Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) will be 1 (one). This declaration affects state, private, county and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Fire season is determined by the state forester when vegetation becomes dry and fires become harder to control.
Fire season restrictions that will go into effect on July 1 are as follows:
— Debris burning will be prohibited.
— The use of fireworks on forestlands will be prohibited.
In the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River between Grave creek and Marial:
— Camp fires must be in fire pans or on a fire blanket that is placed on sand or gravel bars between the river and the high water mark, and only in areas which are naturally free of flammable vegetation.
— Smoking will be permitted on sand and gravel bars between the river and the high water mark, and only in areas naturally free of flammable vegetation, or in boats and rafts while on the river.
— Fireworks are prohibited.
— Travelers must carry a shovel and a minimum of a one-gallon bucket.
Commercial operations, such as timber harvesting conducted on forestlands will be required to have fire suppression equipment on the job site at all times. A watchman must also be provided.
For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon fire season regulations, please contact:
Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point. (541) 664-3328
Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Dr., Grants Pass. (541) 474-3152
More information is also available on the Southwest Oregon District’s fire information web pages at http://www.swofire.oregon.gov/ and on the Southwest Oregon District’s Wildfire Information and Prevention blog at:
http://swofire.blogspot.com/, as well as by following Brian Ballou, Southwest Oregon Fire Prevention Specialist, at http://twitter.com/swofire.
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Brian Ballou
Fire Prevention Specialist
Oregon Department of Forestry
Southwest Oregon District
Office: (541) 665-0662
bballou@odf.state.or.us
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Jeri Chase
ODF Fire Duty Officer
Fire Duty Pager # 503-370-0403
PH: 503-945-7201
June 17, 2011
The Oregon Department of Forestry continues to provide assistance to other states with large fire management support. 84 fire specialists are currently assigned to fires in other states, and 37 specialists have returned to Oregon since deployments began in May.
On the East Volkmar Fire burning in Alaska, the ODF incident management team deployed to the blaze is scheduled to begin transferring command of the fire back to a State of Alaska team on Saturday June 18th, with a majority of the team members traveling back home to Oregon on Sunday, June 19th. A few team members will remain to assist with transition. Current information on the East Volkmar Fire is available through InciWeb at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2253/
On Thursday, 13 ODF firefighters were dispatched to New Mexico to provide assistance on fire operations in that state.
These assignments are helping Oregon fire personnel gain experience and keep current their national firefighting qualifications. ODF incurs no financial drain by assisting other states, since the jurisdictional agency hosting fire suppression operations pays the bills. As Oregon enters summer weather conditions, ODF’s fire managers will begin to pull back their personnel from the out-of-state assignments to be ready for wildfires here at home.
Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
June 16, 2011
For the 15th consecutive year, fire management officials from the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde are hosting an interagency Fire School. The week-long classroom and field-based training session is designed to prepare new firefighters for the rigors of battling blazes, both in Oregon’s forests and in rural-urban interface areas.
“Fire School provides essential training in wildland fire for new firefighters and gives career firefighters a chance to refresh their skills and explore leadership opportunities,” said Co-Incident Commander Ed Keith, Sweet Home Unit Forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry. “A nearby forest landowner, Cascade Timber Consulting, Inc., has agreed to let us use one of their harvest units as a field site,” he added. “The terrain and vegetation found at the site will greatly enhance the students’ training experience.”
Approximately 200 trainees from a variety of agencies across western Oregon including four National Forests – the Willamette, Siuslaw, Umpqua, and Rogue River-Siskiyou, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon Department of Forestry will be in attendance. The interagency school takes place Monday, June 20th through Friday, June 24th at Sweet Home High School.
Trainees spend the first part of the week in an intensive classroom setting that includes several field sessions. Courses being offered this year include basic fire behavior; communications; teamwork; leadership development; fireline safety; use of engines, tools and hose lays; fire in the rural-urban interface; and fire investigation. Students sleep in tents in the school yard and eat their meals together, giving them a taste of what it’s like to be in a real fire camp. The five-day course culminates in a live fire exercise on Friday, June 24th where they can apply and develop their newly acquired skills and knowledge by suppressing and mopping-up a real fire.
Co-Incident Commanders Paul Hiebert, Fire Management Officer for the Detroit and Sweet Home Ranger Districts of the Willamette National Forest, and Ed Keith with the Oregon Department of Forestry, have more than 40 years of firefighting experience between them. Both see Fire School as an engaging and collaborative way to train firefighters in tactical skills and safety. Working together in a training setting helps improve communications and builds effective relationships for the agencies to draw on during fire season.
“Wildland fire safety principles are always at the forefront of our training exercises,” said Hiebert. “The live fire simulation helps students gain familiarity with working in a fire setting while applying newly learned skills such as how to construct fireline with a pulaski and use water pumps to cool off smoldering stumps and logs. The students also get to experience the interagency coordination that occurs during incident response.”
For more information, please contact Public Information Officers Jennifer O’Leary, (503) 298-8190, or Cynthia Orlando, (503) 945-7421. News media interested in covering the event must contact the event Public Information Officers to receive additional instructions.
June 15, 2011
Source:
Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center
Fuels specialists from the Deschutes National Forest will ignite a small 2 to 5 acre prescribed burn Thursday as part of the Guard School training program for new wildland firefighters. Forty men and women from the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry have been in a rigorous training program this week, and the live fire exercise will provide an opportunity to apply and refine their newly acquired skills on a “wildfire.”
The burn will be located in the Highway 20 Project area, four miles north of the community of Sisters on the Cold Springs Cutoff (left off of Hwy 20 on Forest Service Rd 1012). This will be a second entry maintenance burn, although the primary purpose is as a training exercise.
Firefighters will practice assessing a fire, identifying suppression tactics and safety concerns, constructing line, setting hose lays, and applying mop-up techniques. The burn will be 100 percent mopped up as part of the exercise.
The live fire exercise will begin around 12:00 noon, with the active fire portion taking approximately 1-2 hours. Smoke is expected to be of short duration and will be visible from Highway 20, and Tollgate and Cascade Meadows subdivisions.
A Public Information Officer will be on scene to escort news media representatives during the active fire portion of the exercise. Field gear, including fire shelter, hard hat, Nomex clothing, and 8-inch protective leather work boots with Vibram soles will be required to visit the fire line. A limited amount of protective clothing may be provided by request; however, all media representatives must provide their own boots.
For more information about the live fire exercise or for news media personnel to borrow personal protective equipment, please call Lisa Clark (541-280-9560).
For more information about Guard School, please contact Jared Reber at the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District at (541) 383-4000.
June 15, 2011
The Walker Range Forest Protection District will enter fire season at 12:01 a.m. on Monday June 20.
Walker Range Forest Protective Association provides protection of private forestlands and certain public lands in northern Klamath County and a portion of northern Lake County, including fire protection for the Gilchrist State Forest.
Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
June 15, 2011
A ban on all open and backyard burning will take effect on June 16 in Linn, Benton and Marion counties. The Oregon Department of Forestry and the fire defense boards of the three counties announced the county-wide ban, which aims to reduce the incidence of open debris burns escaping control. The restrictions will extend through October 15 or later, depending on fire danger.
“We are seeing a lot of green‐up occurring with the current weather patterns. This will cause heavy fuel loading for the grass models as temperatures rise and the fuels dry out,” said Mike Beaver, Linn County Fire Defense Board Chief.
The open burning restrictions coincide with the current air‐quality rules set forth by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Those rules already forbid open burning within three miles of cities over 1,000 in population and six miles from cities over 50,000 in population after June 15. These burn restrictions expand the geographical scope to include areas outside the three‐ and six‐mile limit.
“Along with this ban on residential burning we hope that the public has an increased awareness of wildfires and what they can do to help protect their own property,” said Benton County Fire Defense Board Chief Rick Smith. “The work that a property owner does now keeping a defensible space around their property will make the difference between losing a home or structure, and keeping their valuable investment intact during a wildfire event.”
The fire defense board chief encouraged property owners to explore other options during the burn ban. Alternatives to burning include: chipping, hauling debris to recycling centers, and composting. All of these options are now available to the public year‐round.
Rural fire agencies and the Oregon Department of Forestry have the authority to enforce and regulate the burn ban. Under Oregon Revised Statute Chapter 477, the department may issue citations for violation of the burning restrictions.
For more information on the open burning restrictions as well as advice on safe debris disposal, contact the nearest Department of Forestry office or the local fire department.
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June 14, 2011
Areas protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Klamath/Lake District will enter fire season at 12:01 a.m. on Monday June 20.
All lands protected by the Klamath-Lake Forest Protection District within one-half mile of the Klamath River from the Keno Dam downstream to the Oregon/California border will also enter Regulate Use Closure at that same time. Regulated Use Closure places specific limitations on public use and establishes fire safety procedures to be followed for public use.
Additional information about Regulated Use Closure is available on the ODF web site:
www.oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/precautionlevel.shtml
Kevin Weeks
Oregon Department of Forestry
June 14, 2011
Source:
Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center
Forty men and women from the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry began their initial training to become wildland firefighters this week. At the end of the training the students will be qualified as entry level firefighters, and will join more than 300 other federal and state wildland firefighters working in Central Oregon this summer. “This type of intense training provides the essential foundation for becoming an effective, well-informed, and safe firefighter” said Karen Curtiss, Assistant Fire Staff with Central Oregon Fire Management Service, the combined Forest Service and BLM fire and fuels organization in Central Oregon.
During the week of training, known as Guard School, the new firefighters will go through a rigorous schedule of classroom and field exercises designed to teach a variety of subjects including fire suppression techniques, fire behavior, fire ecology, and maps/navigation skills. The firefighters will also learn how to operate engines, pumps and other mechanized equipment.
On Thursday, the firefighters will go through a live fire exercise designed to provide hands-on experience in line building techniques, setting hose lays, and applying mop-up standards. Specialists will ignite a small, 2-3 acre “wildfire” in order to give the new recruits an opportunity to apply their new knowledge on an actual fireline.
Classroom work and some of the field exercises will be taught at the Biak Training Center east of Redmond, and the live fire exercise will occur on Forest Service lands in the Cold Springs area west of Sisters. The practice fire will be a low-intensity maintenance burn in an area that was previously treated.
For more information, please contact Jared Reber at the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District at (541) 383-4000.
June 10, 2011
The La Nina weather pattern has delayed the onset of wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest, but Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) firefighters are seeing plenty of action elsewhere. Eighty-four “overhead” – specially trained fire management personnel – are assisting suppression efforts in five states.
The deployments are enabling Oregon fire personnel to gain fire line experience and keep up their national firefighting qualifications.
ODF incurs no financial drain from assisting other states, since the jurisdictional agency hosting a fire suppression operation pays the bills.
As Oregon enters summer weather conditions, ODF’s fire managers will pull back their personnel from the out-of-state assignments to be ready for wildfires at home. While fire activity typically picks up around the Fourth of July, forecasters predict a delay of a month or more this summer.
May 27, 2011
Have any plans for the Memorial Day weekend? How about getting your home and property ready for Oregon’s summer fire season by taking steps now to create a zone that can stop the spread of destructive wildfire.
An increasing percentage of Oregon’s residents are living in less urbanized areas or residential areas that include forests, seeking opportunities to enjoy trees and natural beauty right outside their door. However, the risk of being affected by wildfire can also increase.
You can significantly reduce your risk of wildfire in just a few hours. Prepare your home to be wildfire-resistant by focusing on your home ignition zone. In the first 30 feet around your home, create a fire-resistant zone to help reduce the spread of wildfire and protect your property.
ODF urges homeowners to take these simple steps to protect your home and reduce your risk of losing your home to a rapidly moving wildland fire:
• Define your defensible space – 30 feet away from your home.
• Reduce flammable brush around your home and under nearby trees.
• Prune or remove trees.
• Keep grass and weeds cut low.
• Clear wood piles and building materials away from your home.
• Keep your yard and roof clean.
• Keep address signs visible.
• Choose fire-resistant building materials and lawn furniture.
• Recycle yard debris – avoid burning.
• Be prepared to respond to wildfire.
Many more ideas are available on the FireWise website, and more information about wildfire protection is available on the Oregon Department of Forestry website.
Kevin Weeks
ODF Agency Affairs Office
kweeks@odf.state.or.us
