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Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan November 2004 Prepared for: Josephine County Board of County Commissioners 510 NW 4th Street Grants Pass, OR 97526 Tel: (541) 474-5421 Prepared by: Program for Watershed and Community Health, University of Oregon 5247 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403.5247 Tel: (541) 346-0687 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://cwch.uoregon.edu EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Recent fires in Oregon and across the western United States have increased public awareness to the potential losses to life, property, and natural and cultural resources. In 2002, Josephine County became intimately aware of these risks as the Biscuit Fire burned over 470,000 acres in Josephine and Curry Counties. The County activated the Josephine County Emergency Operations Center when the fire threatened over 3,400 homes and put thousands of residents on evacuation notice. Costs from the fire have exceeded $150 million and have ultimately raised awareness among public agencies, community organizations and individuals about the extreme risk they face from wildfire. In August 2003, the Josephine County Board of County Commissioners directed the County Departments to work with state and federal agencies, rural fire protection districts and community organizations throughout the County to develop an integrated fire plan. The County initiated this effort to reduce wildfire risk to citizens, the environment, and quality of life within Josephine County. The County contracted with the Program for Watershed and Community Health, an organization affiliated with the University of Oregon’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment to facilitate the development of the plan. Since last August, countless numbers of citizens, fire districts, county staff, and agency representatives have worked together to develop the Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan (JCIFP) and to help the County be successful in implementing fuels reduction projects, fire prevention education campaigns, and other fire-related programs. The planning approach directly involves the county’s rural fire protection districts as a way to reach citizens in the county. The plan assists the county in being more competitive for federal funding programs such as the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, the National Fire Plan and FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program. Plan Adoption To ensure recognition by the public, as well as partner agencies and organizations, Josephine County presented this Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan to the Board of County Commissioners for adoption by resolution on November 8, 2004. Oregon Department of Forestry and the Josephine County Fire Defense Board have also signed the plan in recognition of the collaborative development process. While the JCIFP provides a foundation and resources for understanding wildfire risk and opportunities to reduce potential losses from wildfire, individual communities, fire districts and neighborhoods can take local action by developing community-specific fire plans or by participating in countywide activities for prevention and protection. Examples of local community action include the Applegate Fire Plan, developed in 2001 and the implementation of fuels reduction projects in neighborhoods throughout Josephine County. Other examples include Community Wildfire Protection Plan under development in the Illinois Valley and the recent formation of the Illinois Valley Fire Safe Council. Successful implementation of the JCIFP is dependent upon local community efforts. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act authorities for Community Wildfire Protection Plans require adoption of this plan, as does the FEMA Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. With formal adoption of this plan, Josephine County is more competitive for funding that may assist with plan implementation. Furthermore, adoption of this plan highlight the collaborative process between fire districts, local government, community-based organizations and public agencies. Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan November 2004 Page i Sustaining Fire Plan Efforts Development of the JCIFP has been no small task. Implementation and sustaining these efforts will be much more complex. Building a collaborative and cooperative environment between community- based organizations, fire districts, local government and the public land management agencies has been the first step in identifying and prioritizing measures to reduce wildfire risk. Maintaining this cooperation with the public is a long-term effort that requires commitment of all partners involved. In the past, there has been limited awareness about the investment required to maintain fire protection. From fuels reduction to fire district tax levies, education and prevention to evacuation, citizens must have the information and resources to be active participants in reducing their risk to wildfire. For many years, there has been a reliance on insurance, local government, fire service, federal agencies and many other types of organizations to aid us when disaster strikes. The JCIFP encourages citizens to take an active role in identifying needs, developing strategies and implementing solutions to address wildfire risk by assisting with the development of local community wildfire plans and participating in countywide fire prevention activities. Citizen action may be cleaning up brush around homes, installing new smoke detectors, voting to increase support to the local fire district through a bond measure or tax levy, volunteering to be a part of an auxiliary, attending community meetings, or passing along information on fire prevention to neighbors and friends. With the JCIFP as a foundation, community wildfire plans and local action can guide successful implementation of fire hazard and protection efforts in the County. Josephine County is committed to supporting the rural fire districts and communities in their fire protection efforts, both short and long-term. The County will continue to provide support in maintaining countywide risk assessment information and emergency management coordination. In 2004 and 2005, Josephine County will work on implementing the fire plan by working with fire districts, community organizations and public agencies to coordinate fuels reduction projects with existing dollars. The JCIFP will focus on public meetings in the Rural/Metro region, coordinate a spring education campaign, strengthen emergency management and evacuation procedures, and explore opportunities for biomass marketing and utilization. JCIFP partners will also focus on refining long-term strategies to maintain fire protection activities in the County. Related Policies: Community Wildfire Protection Plans The most recent authorities for community fire planning come under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). Title III of HFRA provides guidance for developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP). Communities with a CWPP may receive significant benefit in the future should funding be appropriated through HFRA for fuels reduction and fire prevention. HFRA provides clear guidance for what should be developed in a CWPP. This Executive Summary illustrates how the Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan addresses the CWPP requirements, along with guidelines and requirements in the FEMA Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, the National Fire Plan, and other state and federal programs. Planning Committee and Partners Core partners on the planning committee include Josephine County, Oregon Department of Forestry and the Josephine County Fire Defense Board. Additionally, the plan has been developed Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan November 2004 Page ii in close consultation with the BLM, Medford District, Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest, and the Applegate Valley, Grants Pass, Illinois Valley, Williams, Rural/Metro, and Wolf Creek Fire Departments. Community-based organizations, including the Illinois Valley and Sunny Wolf Community Response Teams, Siskiyou Field Institute, Forestry Action Committee, Williams Educational Coalition, Applegate Partnership, and many others have also played a strong role in the plan development. Background Recent fires in Oregon and across the western United States have increased public awareness over the potential losses to life, property, and natural and cultural resources that fire can pose. For instance, the Biscuit Fire which burned nearly 500,000 acres in Josephine and neighboring counties, threatening 3,400 homes and cost taxpayers over $150 million. In response to such fires, the Josephine County Commissioners directed County agencies to work with other public agencies, fire districts and community organizations throughout the County to develop an integrated fire plan. The JCIFP is the result of a countywide effort initiated to reduce wildfire risk to citizens, the environment, and quality of life within Josephine County. The County contracted with the Program for Watershed and Community Health, an organization affiliated with the University of Oregon’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment to facilitate the development of the plan. Citizens, fire districts, county staff, and agency representatives have worked together to create a plan that would be successful in implementing fuels reduction projects, fire prevention education campaigns, and other fire-related programs. Josephine County Fire Plan Mission, Goals, Objectives Developed by an executive committee comprised of rural fire protection districts, local government, state and federal agencies, and community-based organizations, the plan mission
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