Purpose

The Row River Valley Community Partnership recognizes that disaster preparedness, wildfire resilience, emergency response, and community recovery efforts are strongest when all residents are included, respected, and able to participate meaningfully regardless of income, housing status, age, disability, transportation access, geography, or life circumstance.

This framework establishes guiding practices intended to support equitable access to community preparedness resources, mitigation programs, emergency communications, volunteer opportunities, and recovery support throughout the Row River Valley.

Community Context

The Row River Valley is a rural Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) corridor with approximately 1,200 residents dispersed across forested terrain along a single-ingress/single-egress roadway system.

The community includes residents who may face increased vulnerability during wildfire, smoke events, utility outages, winter storms, evacuation emergencies, and other disasters, including:

• low-income households
• older adults aging in place
• residents with disabilities
• households with limited transportation access
• residents with limited internet or cellular connectivity
• socially isolated individuals
• housing-insecure or unhoused residents
• residents living in RVs, temporary structures, or unstable housing situations

Because rural homelessness often occurs in dispersed and less visible forms, community preparedness and outreach efforts must consider residents who may not be connected to traditional service systems.

Organizational Commitment

The Row River Valley Community Partnership is committed to:

• treating all residents with dignity and respect
• reducing barriers to participation in community programs
• fostering neighbor-centered engagement practices
• supporting inclusive volunteer opportunities
• improving access to preparedness information and mitigation resources
• strengthening outreach to isolated and vulnerable residents
• encouraging broad participation in community resilience activities
• supporting equitable access to emergency preparedness and recovery resources

Practices and Strategies

Outreach and Communication

The organization may use multiple communication methods to reach residents across varying levels of technology access, including:

• printed newsletters and flyers
• community bulletin boards
• neighborhood outreach
• direct volunteer contact
• in-person community meetings
• faith-based and local partner coordination
• non-digital preparedness materials

Emergency Preparedness Inclusion

Preparedness efforts may include:

• outreach to residents with mobility or transportation limitations
• evacuation planning considerations for vulnerable populations
• welfare check systems during emergencies
• smoke and heat preparedness support
• neighborhood-based preparedness coordination
• inclusion of vulnerable populations in planning discussions

Volunteer and Community Participation

The organization seeks to maintain community programs and volunteer opportunities that are:

• open and welcoming
• respectful of varying abilities and backgrounds
• accessible to residents across economic circumstances
• supportive of neighbor-to-neighbor engagement

Mitigation and Resilience Activities

Community mitigation activities may prioritize:

• households facing increased wildfire risk
• elderly or disabled residents needing assistance
• areas with constrained evacuation access
• vulnerable roadside and utility corridors
• high-risk vegetation conditions adjacent to homes

Rural Homelessness and Housing Insecurity

The Row River Valley includes residents experiencing housing instability and homelessness in forms that may be less visible than urban homelessness. Some residents may reside in:

• vehicles
• RVs
• temporary shelters
• informal camp settings
• overcrowded housing arrangements
• unstable or transitional living conditions

These residents may face elevated risks during wildfire evacuations, smoke events, severe weather, and utility outages due to limited access to transportation, communications, medical support, or emergency shelter.

Community resilience planning should consider strategies to improve outreach, emergency communication, and access to preparedness information for housing-insecure residents.

Guiding Principle

Building wildfire resilience and emergency preparedness in the Row River Valley depends on strengthening the safety, connectedness, and participation of the entire community. The Row River Valley Community Partnership brings neighbors together to build connected, safe, and resilient communities through education, prevention, and preparedness. We strengthen local capacity for emergency response and long-term recovery while advancing programs that support health, stability, and quality of life across the Row River Valley, a rural Oregon community committed to opportunity for all residents, economic vitality, and environmental stewardship.

Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within this mission means working to ensure that all residents, including vulnerable, isolated, low-income, elderly, disabled, housing-insecure, and unhoused community members, have meaningful access to preparedness resources, mitigation support, emergency information, participation opportunities, and community resilience efforts. Inclusive and equitable practices help ensure that preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts reach residents who may otherwise face barriers to assistance during emergencies.