Three Douglas County Communities Earn National Recognition for Wildfire Preparedness

9-10-21

Three local communities in Douglas County recently received recognition for their efforts to reduce the vulnerability of homes and their surrounding landscapes to wildfires by earning Firewise USA® recognition from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). These communities include the Jade Drive community near Lookingglass, the Watson Mountain community near Glide, and the Winchester Ridge Community near Roseburg.

All three communities worked with the Douglas Forest Protective Association to conduct a wildfire risk assessment that was specific to their community. Each community formed a Firewise committee to oversee the program locally and used the information from the wildfire risk assessment to develop and implement an action plan that prioritizes projects and outreach activities that can help reduce the risk of wildfires in their community. In addition, each Firewise committee tracked the efforts of local resident who conducted wildfire prevention, mitigation, and education related projects in their community.

“Living in a wildfire environment like many Douglas County residents do, means that it’s not a matter of if a wildfire occurs in or near your community, but rather when” says DFPA Fire Prevention Specialist Kyle Reed. “Because of this, it’s important that homeowners and community members take an active role in addressing wildfire concerns in and around their local community before the next wildfire occurs. The Firewise USA program is a great tool to help community members get started in the right direction.”

The Jade Drive, Watson Mountain, and Winchester Ridge communities bring the total number of nationally recognized Firewise USA communities in Douglas County up to 30. These communities join 221 other communities throughout Oregon and nearly 1,900 nationally which are participating in the program.

Homeowners and community groups throughout Douglas County who are interested in earning Firewise recognition should contact the Douglas Forest Protective Association at (541) 672-6507 for more information.