Gov. Brown declares state of emergency amid extreme wildfire danger in C. Oregon

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Gov. Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency due to the imminent threat of wildfires across Oregon, a danger underscored by Central Oregon fire officials.

Much of the state, including Central Oregon, is at high or extreme fire danger, with the current dry and windy conditions.

Brown said Wednesday, “I issued this emergency declaration to ensure every resource is made available for firefighting efforts and to the crews striving to protect our state. With fire seasons increasingly starting earlier and lasting longer, it is up to each of us to do our part to prevent wildfires and be prepared for the ones we can’t prevent. I am urging Oregonians to take charge in preventing human-caused fires by being prepared, safe, responsible, and aware."

The governor's declaration authorizes the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal, in coordination with the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, to utilize personnel, equipment and facilities from other state agencies in order to respond to or mitigate the effects of the wildfire emergency.

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Roger Johnson said, "I think the declaration is more of a statement that we are in extreme fire danger at this time, and it does lay the foundation for accessing additional resources, if a fire should begin."

Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Nick Hennemann said the emergency declaration allows agencies to move firefighters and aviation resources around to respond quickly when there is a fire.

And it allows state agencies to temporarily suspend any rules that impair response to wildfires.

ODF currently has 519 firefighters on staff. That's an increase from the 479 it had last year.

This comes as President Joe Biden is temporarily raising federal firefighter pay to ensure that no one fighting wildland fires is making less than $15 per hour.

Last week, the Office of the State Fire Marshal pre-deployed 2 task force teams to Central Oregon when the area was forecast to see record-breaking heat.

"It was extremely comforting to know that you had additional resources in the region, if you were to need them, and we did have real extreme fire conditions that are still with us today," Johnson said. 

Johnson urged Oregonians to exercise great caution during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

"We are at extreme risk, and any fire that we can prevent really saves on resources," Johnson said.