Deschutes County named ‘Fire-Adapted Community’
Project Wildfire announced Monday that Deschutes County has been accepted into the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network as a pilot community.
The network is comprised of 17 communities nationwide similar to Deschutes County who are striving to make their communities more resilient to wildfire.
Project Wildfire will be able to celebrate the success of our communities by sharing their stories with the Learning Network while also learning about success stories from other organizations in the Network.
A fire-adapted community acknowledges and takes responsibility for its wildfire risk, and implements appropriate actions at all levels. Actions address resident safety, homes, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure, forests, parks, open spaces and other community assets.
Every community has a unique set of circumstances and capacities, so the kinds of actions they take will vary. Further, there is no end-point in becoming a fire adapted community. Sustaining, growing and adapting strategies, partnerships and capacity through time are key.
While much work remains, many communities in Deschutes County have shown their commitment to fire resiliency by mitigating hazardous wildland fuels, organizing community workdays and being prepared for wildfire.
The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is a partnership that will allow Project Wildfire to highlight all of the strides Deschutes County residents take to create a more Fire Adapted Community every year. The Learning Network will be a tool for Project Wildfire to cultivate new methods for empowering each property owner to prepare for wildfire.
