County, fire partners outline rapid delegation process for private‑land wildfires

Cook County officials received a wildfire‑season briefing Wednesday that mapped how wildland and structural responses are coordinated when fires occur on private land and outside local fire districts.

County Fire Chief Matt Smith told the Board that Cook County Fire & Rescue protects roughly 450 square miles inside a county area of about 3,000 square miles and that large areas remain structurally unprotected by the district. He said responses on unprotected private lands rely on cooperation among the county fire district, the sheriff’s office, local Rangeland Protection Associations (RPAs) and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management.

Mitch Madden, a patrol lieutenant with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, said the sheriff’s office is responsible for evacuation orders and search‑and‑rescue follow‑up, noting that deputies are typically first on scene and manage evacuation levels. Don Tichaida of the Oregon Department of Forestry described RPAs as nonprofit, neighbor‑based groups that provide wildland support on private property and maintain mutual‑aid agreements with federal partners.

Dylan Webb, regional mobilization coordinator for the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office, explained how requests for state resources are routed. When local fire defense leadership determines additional resources are needed, Chief Smith as the county’s fire defense chief can request state assistance; Webb said that request can activate a chain of mobilization that ends with gubernatorial approval to invoke the Conflagration Act and mobilize incident management teams and other statewide resources. "It actually happens very quickly. I mean, 5 to 10 minutes," Webb said, describing the pace at which teams can be sent and a delegation of authority signed.

The delegation of authority document transfers the county’s authority over response priorities on unprotected lands to the incoming incident management team so those teams can set objectives and manage operational resources. Commissioners asked for clarity about who signs that delegation and how the board is briefed while an incident is active. Several commissioners said having a local commissioner involved — or at least routinely briefed — would help ensure local knowledge about specific areas and conditions informs incident decisions.

Chief Smith recommended including either the county manager or a commissioner as a delegated signatory or point of contact, and he said operations staff and the county’s emergency manager would remain closely involved. Commissioners and staff also discussed participation in daily "cooperators" meetings once incident management teams are mobilized so county representatives receive weather forecasts, operational updates and resource lists.

There was no formal action taken; the briefing concluded with staff and commissioners agreeing to develop a clearer, written protocol for delegation contacts and briefing procedures in future incidents.