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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Gary Marshall, Deputy Chief / Fire Marshal Bend Fire & Rescue 541-322-6308 Tay Robertson, Fire Chief Sisters – Camp Sherman RFPD 541-549-0771 Tom Fay, Manager Deschutes County Rural Fire Protection District #2 541-322-6377

Central Oregon fire management complements Blue Ribbon Panel in Washington, D.C.

On October 23, 2007, three of Central Oregon’s top fire management participated in the National Blue Ribbon Panel on Wildland Urban Interface Fire in Washington, D.C. Deputy Chief Gary Marshall from Bend Fire & Rescue, Fire Chief Taylor Robertson from Sisters – Camp Sherman Fire District and Tom Fay, Manager of Rural Fire District #2 and Co-Chair of Project Wildfire collaborated with the national group to address wildland urban interface issues in America.

Sponsored by the International Code Council, the Blue Ribbon Panel invited members of over 40 national organizations such as the Red Cross, the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Counties and multiple fire suppression and prevention agencies to identify key wildland urban interface issues and recommend improvements in national, state and local coordination for this escalating problem. Based on comments received from the public and participating organizations, the panel is providing an overview of key components that will be addressed in detail in the final draft of the Blue Ribbon Panel Report.

With combined experience and expertise dealing with wildland urban interface issues, the three Chiefs contributed to the development of the Blue Ribbon Panel Report, due by the end of the year.

“Population densities are continuing to increase and structural development is penetrating deeper into the wildland regions,” states Gary Marshall, Deputy Fire Chief for Bend Fire & Rescue. “Central Oregon is no exception,” he adds. “Our experiences and successes here in Deschutes County are helping to form national and state recommendations that address issues that threaten our lives, our homes and the safety of our firefighters”.

Nationally, the Blue Ribbon Panel addressed five key areas: Education/Awareness, Incentives, Mitigation, Regulation and Suppression – all aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the urban interface.

The three Chiefs agree that more needs to be done at the State and Federal level to ensure communities plan and mitigate for the inevitable expansion of structures into the wildland interface areas.

Locally, through participation in Project Wildfire, Deschutes County fire agencies have collaborated with the community members to develop seven Community Wildfire Protection Plans that address wildfire issues on public and private lands in each of the populated areas in the county.

“It is important that the lessons of the recent Los Angeles fires are not forgotten and that we do not continue to build (and rebuild) homes in the urban interface with little regard for the threat of wildfire and conflagration,” affirms Taylor Robertson, Fire Chief, Sisters – Camp Sherman Fire District.

Left, Will May, Fire Chief and Emergency Services Director for Alachua County, FL, Gary Marshall, Fire Marshal of Bend, Oregon, Taylor Robertson, Sisters Fire Department, OR and Tom Fay from Oregon Project Wildfire, Rick Prausa, Deputy Director of Fire Management for the US Forest Service and Russell Riggs, National Association of Realtors discuss key WUI issues at the Blue Ribbon Panel meeting on Wildland Urban Interface Fire in Washington, DC on October 23rd.

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