by Christy Solo – Editor
Let’s face it, we’re all weary of talking about wildfires, but with East Evans Creek Fire still burning – ‘tis the season and really nothing says “Fire in the Area” more than that heart-stopping alarm klaxon coming from your phone with each Watch Duty notification.
On that alarming note, this week’s All Things has a fiery theme.
To be fair, we aren’t exploring wildfires in general, but we will learn a bit about two of the main agencies who knock those fires down to size and protect our homes.
You’ve most likely noticed that on all Incident Updates we see on social media or posted around town and at ranger stations there is a row of agency logos across the top.
Depending on the size and location of the wildfire the number of those logos increases. Different agencies fight wildfires on different types of land (state, federal, private, etc.) and when a wildfire gets seriously big, it can be “all hands on deck” with a laundry list of agencies working together.
Luckily for us, they work together well and put out those joint updates, so staying current is much easier than if every agency did their own thing.
For us the agencies most often involved in fire suppression in our area are the State Fire Marshal and the Oregon Department of Forestry.
Fun fact: Both agencies have Facebook accounts as well as websites and emails and often phone numbers you can call for information. For “super local” wildfire information ODF also has a sub-account ODF Southwest Oregon District. You can access all of those pages and more via our Wildfire 2026 Information page.
Generally agencies will post morning and evening updates on current wildfires.
For “up to the second” updates there is Watch Duty App. Don’t let the “app” part fool you, while you can (and should) download the app to your smartphone (search for “Watch Duty” on you phone’s app store), you can also access it on you home computer (or tablet, etc.) at: https://app.watchduty.org/
While you won’t get pushed notifications on your computer, you can enter your home address (or City Hall address or similar if you don’t want to enter your home address) so when you open Watch Duty it will be zeroed in on your area of interest (it’s a nationwide app).
Oh, and it’s FREE. Oh, and please donate to Watch Duty if you can it’s a lifesaving 503C ap.
Back to Oregon specific entities.
Will start with SWO Fire because most often they are our first line of defense (generally working with other agencies). Their website is: https://swofire.com/ and you can access their social media pages from there as well as the main ODF website.
While some wildfires do require resources from the state Fire Marshal or even federal resources, ODF does have their own incident management team, and they oversee many of our area’s fires.
What is an Incident Management Team?
“An IMT is a group of specially trained and qualified personnel who together provide the type of highly adaptable and coordinated infrastructure necessary to manage elements associated with all types of emergencies. ODF’s three Type 1 IMTs are qualified to handle the most complex incidents and deploy all throughout Oregon, nationally and internationally to provide help when it is desperately needed.”
So what exactly does ODF do in regard to wildfires? In their own words:
“As Oregon’s largest fire department, ODF’s Fire Protection Program protects 16 million acres of forest, a $60 billion asset. These lands consist of privately owned forests as well as some public lands, including state-owned forests and, by contract, US Bureau of Land Management forests in western Oregon. ODF is also part of an extensive fire protection network that includes landowner resources, contract crews and aircraft, adults in custody crews, and agreements with public agencies across Oregon, the US, and British Columbia.”
How are they funded?
“ODF’s wildfire budget is complex, reflecting the diversity of the forest resource and its ownership. Multiple sources fund the work of ODF’s Fire Protection Division that include fire prevention and education as well as firefighting.
- Forest landowners pay a Forest Patrol Assessment to the state. The state’s General Fund matches the landowners’ portion.
- The Oregon Forest Land Protection Fund (OFLPF) helps pay for additional aircraft, heavy equipment and personnel when large fires require resources beyond the capability of ODF field districts. The OFLPF is funded entirely by landowners.
- During extreme fire conditions, ODF seeks access to a Legislative Special-Purpose Appropriation (SPA) to obtain additional firefighting resources. The SPA dollars come from the state’s General Fund. Grants through various federal programs provide additional support.
- A private insurance policy helps cover firefighting expenses when all other funding sources have been expended.”
ODF’s main webpage here: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/default.aspx is chock full of helpful information.
Clearly ODF has the skills and resources to battle Oregon’s blazes, so what role does the State Fire Marshal play, and when?
“The Oregon State Fire Marshal has three all-hazard incident management teams made up of professionals from the Oregon fire service and other government agencies. These teams manage emergency response to wildfires and other disasters to keep communities safe.
“The teams typically respond to wildfires that threaten lives and homes, but they can also handle other types of emergencies. The teams use a system called the Incident Command System to:
- Provide expertise in safety, communication, operations, planning, and more.
- Offer structure and support for ongoing emergency efforts.
- Help coordinate between all the agencies responding to the incident.
- Create a plan to control the situation safely and efficiently.
“The teams are usually mobilized when the governor invokes the Emergency Conflagration Act, which allows the state fire marshal to move resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System. The teams work closely with local fire departments and first responders to manage large incidents.”
When not battling wildfires both agencies are active in outreach and education on wildfire safety and prevention.
It’s likely we’ll see more fires before we see October rains, but it’s good to know we have multiple agencies dedicated to protecting our homes and forests.
