(Map | Courtesy of Project Wildfire/FireFree)
Fire season is just around the corner and now is the time for Central Oregonians to prepare. Fire science tells us that if you have created and maintained a defensible/survivable space around your home, it has an 80 percent chance of surviving a wildfire without fire department assistance. Those are great odds and FireFree urges residents to take that bet, and prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.
There are some simple steps you can take to protect your home and community from wildfire. This spring, partners in the Central Oregon area will host FireFree days. Crook, Deschutes, Klamath, and Jefferson Counties will all be hosting FireFree events for local residents.
Now is the time to clean up your yards, create defensible spaces around homes and recycle that debris at FireFree collection sites for free in Crook, Deschutes, Klamath and Jefferson Counties. Please note there is a NEW Bend Westside Collection Site. Brooks Resources has partnered with Project Wildfire to provide land in the Discovery West area north of Skyliners Road and west of Northwest Crossing. Check the dates below for an event near you.
Saturday & Sunday, April 27-28 and May 4-5
at Box Canyon Transfer Site in Madras
Saturday, April 27
at Crook County Landfill in Prineville
Friday & Saturday, May 3-4
at Sunriver Compost Site in Sunriver
Saturday, May 4 THROUGH Sunday, May 12
at Knott Landfill in Bend
Saturday & Sunday, May 4-5 and 11-12
at a NEW Westside Collection Site in Bend
Discovery West/Brooks Resources
Crossing Drive and Skyliners Road, west of Miller Elementary (Crosby Dr.), near the Tree Farm subdivision. From Bend, turn right off of Skyliners, then onto the construction road to the right.
Friday & Saturday, May 17-18
at Deschutes County Transfer Sites:
Negus Transfer Station in Redmond
Northwest (Fryrear) Transfer Station in Sisters
Southwest Transfer Station in La Pine
Friday & Saturday, May 31 – June 1
at Crescent Transfer Station and Chemult Landfill
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I drop off?
- Grass clippings, brush, plant prunings, pine needles, pine cones, weeds, trimmings and branches, stumps or trees (no larger than 12” in diameter).
- Sod and clean dirt (separate from yard debris).
- NOT Accepted: rocks, lumber, metal, trash or plastics of any kind, including plastic bags.
Where are the most vulnerable places for glowing embers to ignite my home?
- Gutters and roof valleys with debris like pine needles and leaves. Clean them out. Despite a metal or asphalt shingle roof, the buildup of gutter debris provides necessary fuel for the glowing embers to ignite adjacent fascia boards or siding – most often made of wood.
- Shrubs and weeds that provide a path of fuel for fire to reach your trees or home. Reduce shrubs and other “ladder fuels” around your home to reduce the threat of ground fires igniting nearby trees, or your home.
- Flammable materials near a deck, patio or fence. Remove weeds, shrubs or any combustible materials from around, under or on top of your deck, patio or wood fence. This includes toys, planters, construction materials, patio furniture and cushions along with even small piles of pine needles or leaves.
- Bark mulch, pine needles, ornamental junipers or flammable vegetation within 5 feet of your home. This can provide the perfect ember bed that provides necessary fuel for the glowing embers to ignite the adjacent siding – most often made of wood.
- Woodpiles near your home or other combustible vegetation. Move woodpiles at least 30 feet away from your home or other combustibles.
Visit the FireFree website at firefree.org for more information about how you can prepare your property for wildfire season.
