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Supporters seek $8.25 million for Rogue Siskiyou regional wildfire training center; project leaders say $33 million needed to open
Summary
Project leaders and local legislators on March 25 told the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans that $8.25 million in state funding would help finish site infrastructure and permitting for the Rogue Siskiyou Regional Fire Training Center, a proposed $33 million facility to train up to 1,500 wildfire responders annually.
Representatives and project leaders urged the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans on March 25 to support House Bill 3,366, which would appropriate $8,250,000 in state general funds to the Department of Administrative Services for the Rogue Siskiyou Regional Fire Training Center.
Representative Court Boyce (state representative, District 1) introduced the project as a community-driven training center on 38 acres intended to graduate firefighting cadets and expand wildland firefighter capacity. Cam Perry, the project lead, said the group has raised about $4 million in cash and in‑kind support and is seeking federal and foundation funding to reach an estimated $33 million total needed to open the facility. Perry told the committee the $8.25 million requested in the bill would fund engineering, base electrical and water systems, site development, and permit-ready plans.
Tyson Krueger, fire chief in Gold Beach and executive director of the Rogue Siskiyou Regional Training Facility, described planned programming including recruit‑train‑retain pipelines, outreach to grade schools and colleges, fuels-reduction work in the off season, and capacity to preposition crews. Krueger said the facility aims to train up to 1,500 firefighters per year and host fuels-reduction projects in partnership with federal and state agencies.
Senator David Brock Smith (Senate District 1) and other presenters described the region’s need for trained wildfire crews, noting recent seasons’ expanded fire activity and the cost of fighting large wildfires. Committee members asked about the request’s role in the overall funding plan and whether additional federal or foundation dollars were expected; Perry responded that federal requests were in process and that foundations had signaled larger gifts contingent on state and federal backing.
Committee members also clarified that while Oregon has many trained wildland firefighters, it does not have a dedicated, large-scale wildfire training facility; witnesses said the center is intended to fill that gap. No committee action occurred during the hearing; testimony was recorded and the hearing was closed.
