(Photo courtesy of COCC)
From Los Angeles to Maui to across the state of Oregon, recent extreme wildfire events around the country have seen wildfire resiliency and preparedness become more vital issues than ever. Oregon, in fact, recorded its most severe wildfire season in 2024 — impacting an estimated 1.9 million acres of forest and grasslands.
Focusing on community readiness and wildfire awareness, a free Wildfire Preparedness Fair is being held at Central Oregon Community College (COCC) from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, in the Mazama Gym on the Bend campus, with expert tips for home protection, fire prevention education and evacuation planning.
The community event is a collaboration between the college, Bend Fire & Rescue and the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative, with presenters coming from Bend Fire & Rescue, the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal, City of Bend Emergency Management, the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and other agencies.
The Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative is a group of fire and life safety educators from local fire agencies whose mission is to promote an interagency exchange of ideas and resources by actively participating through coordinated fire and life safety education programs, projects and presentations.
COCC is in the process of establishing itself as an official Firewise USA site in Deschutes County, says Paula Simone, chair of the college’s public service education, with more than 70 Firewise sites and neighborhoods across the community now organized to develop wildfire preparedness plans.
For more information on the event, contact COCC’s Paula Simone at 541-383-7404 or psimone@cocc.edu, or Bend Fire Inspector Melissa Steele at msteele@bendoregon.gov.
In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should call 541-383-7775. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact disability services at 541-383-7583.
