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Oregon Living With Fire coordinators outline regional wildfire outreach, local matches and grants
Summary
Presenters from Oregon Living With Fire told Crook County commissioners they provide regional outreach under a four‑county MOU, help connect private landowners to NRCS and Forest Service funding, and noted a $60,000/year match offer and other grant support including an $8.7 million BRIC ask for museum resilience projects.
Jody, a coordinator with Oregon Living With Fire, told Crook County commissioners on July 8 that the program operates under a four‑county memorandum of understanding with Deschutes, Jefferson and Klamath counties to promote fire‑adapted communities, resilient landscapes and safer wildfire response. "We are the part‑time coordinators for Oregon Living With Fire," Jody said, describing outreach, grant support and interagency coordination.
The presenters said each county contributes a proportional share to the program budget and that those funds are used as match for Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grants. Jody said Deschutes County and the Ochoco partnership have offered to match up to $60,000 a year of funds for education and outreach in support of cross‑boundary fuels work.
Jen, the program’s other coordinator, described grant wins the partnership has helped secure. "I just actually submitted the BRIC grant ... that was an $8,700,000 ask," Jen said, and she noted opportunities the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) can provide to projects identified in local Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Jen added that she has helped secure about $2 million in the last 18 months for Jefferson County Fire and EMS, and that awards to neighboring counties can be available for Crook County use when projects cross jurisdictional lines.
Commissioners and staff asked how the program connects with Range Land Fire Protection Associations and other local districts; Jody said they work through Oregon Department of Forestry contacts and that they maintain outreach lists and newsletters to bring landowners into fuels mitigation programs.
The coordinators highlighted local outreach efforts including the Crook County wildfire preparedness fair and a centralized information hub at centraloregonfire.org, which the presenters said had more than 1.3 million views last year. They said the program can help Crook County landowners identify funding streams, improve Community Wildfire Protection Plans and participate in prescribed‑fire cooperatives.
The presentation concluded with an offer to help coordinate prescribed fire demonstrations and to assist county staff with grant connections and community outreach. Commissioners did not vote on any funding changes during the session; staff indicated the program’s work is already incorporated into existing budget and match arrangements.
