Overnight precipitation scrubs 30-acre prescribed burn planned SW of Sisters; other training exercises continue

(Update: Precipitation prompts cancellation of prescribed burn)

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Overnight precipitation has prompted the Sisters Ranger District to cancel a prescribed burn planned for Tuesday about two miles southwest of Sisters as part of an Agency Administrator Workshop hosted  by the National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center (NIPFTC), a multi-agency training center based out of Tallahassee, Florida.

NIPFTC offers unique training programs which cover foundational topics for prescribed fire practitioners, fire and fuels managers, and line officers tasked with implementing fuels management programs.

Prescribed burn ignitions are condition-dependent. The prescribed burn unit received significant precipitation overnight, Deschutes National Forest Public Affairs Specialist Jaimie Olle said. She added that participants would continue with scenario-based training exercises in the area.

The Sisters Area Fuels Reduction (SAFR) 267 prescribed burn unit is located just west of Sisters Cow Camp along the east side of Forest Service Road 15 one mile south of the Crossroads community. Recreationists are asked to avoid Sisters Cow Camp and trails in the area. Motorists traveling along Forest Service Road 15 should slow down and watch for firefighters and firefighting traffic.

NIPFTC’s Agency Administrator Workshop provides participants an opportunity to network with successful fuels program managers and skilled fire practitioners, while learning about fuels management direction, policy, planning and implementation.

NIPFTC’s training programs emphasize mentorship and hands-on experience, which requires building relationships with a variety of host units that manage successful fuels management programs. This program delivery at the Deschutes National Forest represents the first workshop held in a western venue subsequent to NIPFTC's expansion beyond its original southeastern base.

Prescribed burning reintroduces and maintains fire within a fire-dependent ecosystem helping to stabilize and improve the resiliency of forest conditions while increasing public and firefighter safety. Once firefighters ignite prescribed burns, they monitor and patrol the units until they declare the burn out.

This prescribed burn is occurring within the Central Oregon Landscape, one of 21 focal landscapes identified within the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. The implementation of this prescribed burn supports the Deschutes National Forest’s commitment to addressing the Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to reduce severity of wildfires, protect communities, and improve the health and resiliency of fire-dependent forests.

Prescribed burns can protect homes from tragic wildfires. Fire management officials work with Oregon Department of Forestry smoke specialists to plan prescribed burns. Prescribed burns are conducted when weather is most likely to move smoke up and away from our communities. Sometimes, weather patterns change, and some smoke will be present during prescribed burns.

What does this mean for you?

During prescribed burns, smoke may settle in low-lying areas overnight.

• All residents are encouraged to close windows at night to avoid smoke impacts
• When driving in smoky areas, drivers should slow down, turn on headlights and set air conditioning on “re-circulate”
• If you have heart or lung disease, asthma, or other chronic conditions, ask your doctor about how to protect yourself from smoke
• Go to centraloregonfire.org to learn more about smoke safety and prescribed burning in Central Oregon

For more information on prescribed burning in Central Oregon, visit centraloregonfire.org/ and for information specific to the Deschutes National Forest visit www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes. Follow us on Twitter @CentralORFire. Text “COFIRE” to 888-777 to receive wildfire and prescribed fire text alerts.

For more information regarding the NIPFTC Agency Administrator Workshop visit Agency Administrator Workshop - NIPFTC.