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Resident urges county to keep Firewise coordinator with Emergency Management; commissioner says program will continue
Summary
At the July 1, 2026 Josephine County Board of Commissioners meeting, resident Mark Jones urged the board not to move the Firewise USA coordinator out of Emergency Management until the newly hired emergency manager has started; Commissioner Martin responded that the county is not trying to eliminate the program and cited Title 3 funding and reporting lines as reasons to maintain the current structure.
On July 1, 2026, during the Josephine County Board of Commissioners weekly business session, Mark Jones, a county resident, urged commissioners not to separate the Firewise USA coordinator from the county Emergency Management department until the new emergency manager is on the job.
"Firewise USA is a program and not a department," Jones said, arguing the coordinator role should remain within Emergency Management because it enables countywide coordination across districts, city limits and state and federal lands. He cited a 2025 Oregon Department of Forestry figure that there are about 357 Firewise communities in Oregon to underline the program's statewide footprint.
Jones said local administration of the program has shifted over time — previously administered through the Oregon Department of Forestry and the city of Grants Pass before being managed by Josephine County Emergency Management — and warned that separating the coordinator now could weaken countywide coordination, grant management and evacuation planning.
Commissioner Martin responded directly to the concerns, saying the board was "not trying to get rid of this program." Martin praised the Firewise manager's work and said the coordinator would report to the board. "It's doing a great job," he said, adding that the Firewise program receives Title 3 funding while the Emergency Manager receives other state and general-fund support, and that keeping separate structures helps preserve compliance with Title 3 requirements.
No formal action to move the Firewise coordinator was taken at the July 1 meeting. The discussion followed a prior meeting in which commissioners considered organizational changes to Emergency Management; county staff and the newly hired emergency manager were referenced as the appropriate parties to finalize any structural changes.
The exchange highlighted competing priorities: residents and volunteers emphasizing countywide coordination and continuity, and commissioners balancing funding compliance and departmental organization. The item remains a topic for future staff recommendations and board consideration.
