Ethan Hoagland
“It rained more than an inch around the county, and we’re talking about fires.” With that sentence, Jeff Carlson, of Carlson Property Inspections captured the mood at the Linn County Wildfire Ready Night, held on Wednesday, Dec. 6. With a month left of 2023, a variety of state and local agencies gathered in Sweet Home to give Linn County residents guidance on protecting their homes from wildfire, while collecting public input for the new County Wildfire Protection Plan.
Christian Whitfield, serving as manager of the Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program for the Sweet Home Fire District, joined SHFD with the explicit mission to help people buffer themselves from wildfire. People can mitigate that risk by clearing out dry and dead vegetation around their homes, including from gutters. If there’s one thing Whitfield never wants to see on a home: cedar shakes.
“Cedar shakes should not be used,” Whitfield said to the audience. “They’re gonna burn. Just get rid of them.”
Whitfield, who joined SHFD through a grant program, told attendees that they could have their property assessed for free through Oregon’s Defensible Space initiative. For Sweet Home, Whitfield will arrange and perform that assessment.
Meanwhile, planners with Linn County gathered feedback from community members about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The plan, last updated in 2007, targets wildfire mitigation and preparedness priorities. SHFD Chief Nick Tyler explained how the CWPP could help firefighters overcome obstacles like dead-end roads. According to Chief Tyler, the document can also help bring grant dollars and resources to fire districts.
More than 20 community members from around Linn County showed up to learn about wildfire risk and share their concerns.
“This was a great service to the community,” Steve Kohl, who lives in McDowell Creek area, said. “Even a downtown area can be threatened by fires. So this is something we all need to be aware of.”
While risk to people and property in downtown Sweet Home is low, a risk map from the county showed the edges of town pose a high to very high risk to people and property. Another map displaying the overall wildfire risk showed Sweet Home in a low to neutral risk category.
Nonetheless, Linn County officials picked Sweet Home to host the Wildfire Ready Night, something Chief Tyler said he’s grateful for. County Commissioner Will Tucker was in attendance, alongside numerous agencies like the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service. The Oregon State University Extension Office was also involved.
The CWPP is currently in its drafting phase. Officials expect a final draft early next year.