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Westfir work session spotlights wildfire risk and emergency preparedness as high-hazard maps arrive
Summary
Councilors and participants emphasized that Westfir sits in a high-hazard wildland-urban interface area; they discussed coordination with the Oregon Department of Forestry, OSU, regional collaboratives and the Oak Ridge Area Fire Safe Council on fuel-reduction and riparian protections.
Council members used the Jan. 22 work session to focus on emergency preparedness after the city received mapping and reports that place portions of Westfir in a high-hazard wildland-urban interface. Speakers urged proactive steps, including interagency coordination, outreach to the Oak Ridge Area Fire Safe Council and evaluating potential fuel-reduction projects.
“ We received our report about our property, you know, high hazard zone, wildland urban interface. So we're right in the nucleus of it all,” one participant said, urging the council to prioritize preparedness and to seek grant-supported technical help. Officials noted that some recommendations — for example, tree removal in riparian areas — intersect with other obligations (riparian shade and water-temperature protection), and that the Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University are among the partners producing guidance.
