In the face of increased wildfire threats in our region, our Ready NOW program is supporting preparedness through a unique community-led approach. Unlike traditional top-down models, where priorities and strategies are established by agencies, Ready NOW empowers local residents to take the lead in wildfire preparedness. This bottom-up model leverages the local knowledge and vested interests of community members, ensuring that preparedness is tailored to the specific needs and characteristics of each community and fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility that is crucial for effective wildfire readiness.
When the Oregon Department of Forestry made FRC a Firewise USA regional coordinator last November, we knew we had our work cut out for us: Not a single Firewise Community existed within the Almeda Fire footprint. That changed last week, when Mountain View Estates became the first nationally recognized Firewise Neighborhood in Talent/Phoenix, and the first recovering manufactured home park to achieve this distinction. We are extremely grateful to Nikki Orlaineta, our new Fire Adapted Communities Coordinator, and to Fire District 5 Battalion Chief Brian Bolstad for their work. But it has been the residents in the lead the whole time, setting priorities, canvassing their neighbors, and working to implement their community action plan—which focuses on improving evacuation plans for this 55+ community, and advocating for better vegetation management along the adjacent Bear Creek Greenway.
By involving neighbors and resident groups in localized wildfire planning and implementation, we believe the program can enhance the effectiveness of preparedness activities. But there is an added benefit: strengthened community bonds and shared resilience.
Recognizing the success and potential of this model, agencies like the Oregon State Fire Marshal and the U.S. Forest Service have provided funding for the Ready NOW program. Their support underscores the importance of community-led efforts in wildfire risk reduction, and reflects a growing shift towards more inclusive and participatory wildfire mitigation strategies.
Together, through Ready NOW, we are building stronger, more resilient communities, ready to face the challenges of wildfire season head-on.
Firewise Communities
Community Cleanup!
On May 4, FRC and park management hosted a community vegetation cleanup of Glenwood Mobile Home Park, removing an estimated 60 yards of flammable vegetation with the help of a dozen volunteers, Oregon Department of Forestry chainsaw crews, Oregon State Fire Marshal staff, and American Red Cross workers.
Beyond Defensible Space
While Ready NOW activities focus on the first 0 to 5 feet of the Home Ignition Zone, we can also provide resource navigation to rural landowners who seek funding to restore their forestlands through fuels reduction projects, invasive species removal, community forestry and wildfire planning, and healthy prescribed burning.
The Future of Ready NOW
Firebrand Resiliency Collective is extremely proud to have been awarded just under $1.5 million through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program administered by the US Forest Service. This funding will sustain the Ready NOW program for a five-year period, and allow us to expand our offerings to the community to provide home wildfire risk assessments, cost share programs for mitigations in the Home Ignition Zone, improved wildfire planning support, resident trainings, and community-owned risk and resource mapping for communities in the Wildland Urban Interface. Stay tuned for more announcements this Summer and Fall!
