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Dear friends and neighbors,
As I write this, the Rum Creek fire is blazing on the banks of the Rogue River and nearby residents have been ordered to evacuate. I’m grateful for the leadership of the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), as well as the support from local and regional fire personnel and agencies. These are hot and perilous days. Containing this fire will require the full-out efforts of the nearly 2,000 men and women on the front lines.
The fire has already taken an unacceptable toll. Logan Taylor, a 25-year-old Talent resident, was hit by a tree and killed while he was fighting the blaze near Galice. Logan’s death is a brutal reminder of the dangers inherent in firefighting and the risks borne on our behalf. We are safe, or safer, in our homes because firefighters like Logan put their lives on the line.
Clearly, this wildfire season is not over. The good news is that our fire agencies have been remarkably successful with early detection and suppression. Funding allocated by the 2021 legislature enabled ODF to hire additional firefighters and to keep others on the job year-round. Grants issued by the OSFM allowed local fire agencies to beef up personnel. Despite hot and dry conditions, firefighters have managed to keep acreage burned well below historical averages.
On another public safety front, we have seen breakthroughs in containing illegal hemp operations. Last summer, our region was overwhelmed with hoop structures housing vast grows of illegal cannabis. This raised intense concerns regarding water use, environmental degradation, worker exploitation and violent crime. Recognizing the crisis, the legislature allocated new funding to support law enforcement, expand the capacity of our Watermasters and enable community-based organizations to assist workers.
While law enforcement still has plenty to do, our efforts are paying off with many fewer grows this summer. Still, the work continues. I chair the Task Force on Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants and Illegal Cannabis Production, which is looking at additional recommendations regarding law enforcement, cannabinoids, water and natural resource issues. We know we need to maintain funding for local efforts until we are satisfied that illegal operations are gone from the region.
As summer wanes, we approach the 2-year anniversary of the Almeda fire. Each one of us will, in our own way, acknowledge an event that was terrifying for all of us and catastrophic to many. If you are so moved, please join our neighbors at one or more of the community events noted below. Coming together to acknowledge the resilience inherent in our community can be wonderfully therapeutic.
Many thanks, my friends. As always, I’m so grateful for your support and partnership as we confront the many challenges that we face as a community and a state.
Best,
State Representative
Oregon House District 5 - Southern Jackson County
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Earlier this summer I had an opportunity to join a tour of the West Bear All-Lands Restoration project, a game-changing federal, state and local collaboration aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) between Phoenix, Talent, Medford and Jacksonville. The strategy is simple: reduce overgrown vegetation that fuels wildfires in the critical zone where forests and communities rub shoulders. Lomakatsi Restoration Project, a non-profit, is managing implementation. It was impressive to see first-hand the incredible progress that has already been accomplished and to meet the people who are doing this vital work.
More than $11 million in private, state, and federal funding has already been awarded to the project. Oregon is contributing $3.5 million dollars, allocated by Senate Bill 762, to support fuel reduction treatments on 2,000 acres on private land. So far this year, 25 landowners have been recruited into the program, three local contractors have been hired, and 100 pairs of boots have hit the ground.
West Bear just is one of many wildfire-mitigation projects in our region funded by SB 762. In the Upper Applegate Watershed, $700,000 has been granted to treat 350 acres of Forest Service lands. That work will start this fall. To expand the workforce, Lomakatsi is engaging the newly formed Oregon Conservation Corps with $900,000 to staff and operate a 9-month workforce program aimed at training 20 Corps members aged 18-26 from Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties. The goal is to equip young adults with the skills and experience needed to pursue related careers immediately after the program, which includes certification in ecological restoration, technical chainsaw operation, cultural resource monitoring, prescribed fire, wildland fire, and forestry data collection.
These boots-on-the-ground projects are just the tip of the SB 762 iceberg. In total, this measure will invest $220 million to help Oregon modernize and improve wildfire preparedness through three key strategies: creating fire-adapted communities, developing safe and effective responses, and increasing the resiliency of Oregon’s landscapes.
SB 762 investment categories include:
- $28 million for landowner and community grant programs to improve forest and rangeland health to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk across the landscape
- $32 million in wildfire prevention grants to protect homes and to provide first responders with conditions for safe and effective wildfire response, while increasing home and community survivability when wildfires do strike
- $109 million to hire forest workers and firefighters, and to purchase new equipment and aviation resources for wildfires
- $13 million for clean air shelters, smoke filters, and public assistance to protect vulnerable communities from wildfire smoke
- $12 million to create the Oregon Conservation Corps and train the next generation of forest and wildfire professionals
Property owners are the key to success
Many of the high-risk lands in the Wildland Urban Interface are privately owned by Oregonians. A key goal of this work is to provide resources, including expertise and funding, to property owners who are most at risk. While many rural landowners have implemented extensive defensible space programs, others may need assistance. Conversely, landowners can also provide assistance to fire management planners: the hard-earned knowledge of rural communities and fire personnel is essential for devising local strategies. The Oregon State Fire Marshal will partner with residents, fire districts, fire departments and local governments to establish programs that address wildfire risk reduction, defensible space requirements, response planning and community preparedness.
To identify communities that are most at-risk of catastrophic fire, SB 762 directs ODF to work with Oregon State University (OSU) to develop and maintain a statewide map of wildfire risk. Data from the Wildfire Risk Map can be utilized by the Oregon State Fire Marshal, ODF and local fire departments to determine the most critical need for resources, specifically driving money, professional services, and education to these areas.
The first draft of the state wildfire map raised many concerns from property owners. Many saw it as a threat, not a promise. ODF has withdrawn it and is working with OSU on refinements to improve the accuracy of risk classification assignments based on what they’ve heard from property owners. The agency is also looking at ways to use a map layer to document properties and neighborhoods where owners have implemented good wildfire protection strategies. But the purpose of the map remains the same: to identify areas most in need of additional resources.
Property insurance concerns
The Wildfire Risk Map raised concerns that the identification of individual tax lots will lead insurance companies to increase rates. In August the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) announced that insurance companies in Oregon do not use, and currently have no plans to use, the Wildfire Risk Map in their decision making.
This announcement reflected the results of a formal data call to all relevant insurers doing business in Oregon issued by DFR. A data call is a formal inquiry that insurers are required by law to answer truthfully.
The data call asked the following:
- Does the company use the state wildfire map for rating or underwriting?
- Does the company use the state wildfire map for any other purposes?
- Does the company plan to use the state wildfire map for any purpose in the future?
All insurers responded that they do not use the map for rating and underwriting and have no plans to use it for rating and underwriting. In addition, DFR has not received any new proposed rate filings that include the state wildfire map as a rating factor. DFR does not set rates or determine what rates should be; however, all rates used by insurance companies in Oregon must be filed with DFR for review. The filing must include the methodology used to develop rates and the proposed rates must be actuarially justified, adequate, not excessive, and nondiscriminatory.
Insurance companies have been using their own risk maps and other robust risk management tools to assess wildfire risk for many years in making rating and underwriting decisions. DFR notes that there has been confusion between decisions based on insurers continued use of their own tools, including their own risk maps, and the discussions on the new state wildfire risk map.
Anyone who is being told their insurance policy is not being renewed or is being canceled due to the map should file a complaint with DFR online at dfr.oregon.gov or by calling their consumer advocacy hotline at 888-877-4894.
DFR recently issued a homeowners insurance guide to help people better understand how insurance companies determine whether to offer and renew insurance policies and set their rates: dfr.oregon.gov/insure/home/storm/Pages/wildfires.aspx
Meanwhile, we must all continue to address the very real risk of catastrophic wildfires—a risk that will only increase as the current historic drought continues. You can subscribe to email updates on SB 762 programs and find opportunities for feedback by visiting oregon.gov/odf/pages/sb762.aspx and entering your email address in the top right corner.
SB 762 in the news:
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Legislative funding will help expand wildfire detection system in Oregon, OPB, 03-29-22
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Oregon State Fire Marshals were able to respond quickly to the Corey Fire, thanks to a new Senate Bill, KOBI, 07-30-22
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Additional funding for fighting wildfires making a difference, KTVL, 08-22-22
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Oregon officials say this year they’re so far reining in wildfires much quicker than previous years, OPB, 08-16-22
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Utilities' wildfire mitigation plans filed with Oregon utility commission, KDRV, 07-23-22
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Programs help Oregon homeowners facing high wildfire risk create defensible space, KVAL, 07-06-22
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Oregon Department of Forestry issues grants to reduce wildfire risk, JPR, 02-15-22
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27,000 high-risk acres targeted to reduce fire danger, Mail Tribune, 06-23-22
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New state funding to pay for more controlled burns, Ashland News, 02-12-22
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Southwest Oregon Sees 'Substantial Investment in Fire Safety', Mail Tribune, 02-18-22
If you’ve ever thought about suicide, or need emotional support, or if you are concerned about a loved one experiencing a behavioral health crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available to call or text. It's confidential and available 24 hours a day, year-round.
Established in July 2022 in response to growing needs for mental health crisis care, 988 improves access to crisis services which are distinct from the public safety purposes of 911 (which focus is on dispatching emergency medical services, fire and police).
988 offers a quick and direct connection to trained crisis counselors who can provide compassionate support for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress—including thoughts of self-harm, a substance use crisis, or any other behavioral health crisis. These counselors are part of a network of services and can connect the caller to right type of help.
In June, I joined in a tour organized by Farmers Conservation Alliance to learn about irrigation shortages and infrastructure upgrades proposed and under construction in the Rogue River Valley, Medford, and Talent irrigation districts. Open irrigation canals lose enormous amounts of water due to leaks and evaporation. In the face of severe and persistent drought, we need to modernize irrigation and implement water conservation strategies in order to maintain communities, preserve our rural economy and sustain the fish and wildlife that depend on our waterways.
In the upcoming session, I will be supporting efforts to address drought in my district and across Oregon. We need funding for multiple water projects, including irrigation upgrades, extension of the Domestic and Public Well Assistance Program, which makes grant money available to help people who have wells that are struggling or dry, and groundwater studies. No question that our long term water future will be a front and center issue in the 2023 legislature.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1405
District Phone: 541-282-4516
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-474, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.PamMarsh@oregonlegislature.gov
Website and e-Subscribe: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/marsh
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