Frequently Asked Questions
Row River Fire Response or RRFR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association formed to obtain grants and assistance from the state of Oregon, Lane County and various philanthropy associations. Only a legal firefighting entity can receive governmental support and funding. Therefore, the 501(c)(3) was formed to establish the legal entity of the Row River Rural Fire District. The RRFR intends to remain a non-profit to continue in their fundraising efforts for the betterment of the local Row River Valley community.
To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual.
Your contributions to the RRFR is tax-deductible. If you would like a receipt for your donation, please send your request by email to: treasurer@rowrivervalley.org
Row River Rural Fire District is a special district as determined by Oregon State Law; it is pending a majority “Yes” vote outcome by voters in the proposed district on the May 2024 election.
A district is an area within a city, town, municipality, or county that is established in order to provide fire prevention and fire suppression services. Property taxes are often the primary source of funding for Fire Districts and Regional Fire Authorities.
The proposed tax rate for the Row River Valley will not exceed $2.40 per thousand dollars of the assessed value.
As a Rural Fire District, a new board is elected upon approval by the voters in the district. It is this board that determines the taxes requested.
What services are included in a fire district?
What is Mutual Aid?
Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System The Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS) is a term used to describe fire response in the state at all levels: local, regional, statewide, and into other states.
In emergency services, mutual aid is an agreement among emergency responders to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. This may occur due to an emergency response that exceeds local resources, such as a disaster or a multiple-alarm fire. Mutual aid may be ad hoc, requested only when such an emergency occurs.
How Does Mutual Aid System Work?
Mutual Aid is a prior agreement between a fire district (like ours through SLF), and the Lane County Fire Defense Board and other nearby districts that provides no cost fire response from their district to the requesting district who needs help.
Didn’t we receive Mutual Aid as part of Lane County?
Yes, we did. However, the request for Mutual Aid came from a secondary source therefore the response time is substantially delayed. Chief Wooten, of South Lane Fire & Rescue describes this in the following video.
Why is it important to receive Mutual Aid as a Fire District?
By forming a Fire District in our valley, our firefighters would have the ability to pick up our radios and get immediate support from multiple fire districts in Lane and Douglas County to come to our aid, at no cost. Furthermore, our District can and will have AUTOMATIC Mutual Aid with SLFR, our closest partner, so that as soon as the 911 dispatches to our District, both our District and SLFR begin response at the same time. Also both agencies can and will attack structure fires!
The goal of the proposed fire district is the protection of life and property within the Row River Valley community. We are following a proven path to successfully meet this goal with the following:
Fighting Structural Fire:
We are equipping our firefighter volunteers with knowledge, skills, training, techniques, and tools. This will benefit the entire community including those who volunteer.
- RR Volunteer Firefighters are in training to respond to structural fires in the standard capacities including exterior defense, transitional attack, and interior firefighting in accordance with NFPA, DPSST, and the Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines of any authorities having jurisdiction.
- RR Volunteer Firefighters have begun extensive training, Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 training continues in January 2024.
- Specifically, regarding interior firefighting, our trained firefighters will be certified in the use of SCBA and provided with the necessary equipment and support, (such as ‘2 in 2 out’, RIT, apparatus, etc.).
- Of note, there is an exception to the ‘2 in 2 out’ rule when the responding certified firefighter determines that there is a life in danger (rescue), so that rescue operations can be undertaken urgently when necessary.
- During the transition period while our volunteers are in firefighter 1 training, they will respond to structural fires and provide exterior, transitional, or defensive attack depending on fire conditions and other variables.
This FAQ was updated Oct. 25, 2023
Chief Wooten discusses ISO Ratings in regards to its impact on Home Insurance
Chief Wooten discusses SLFR involvement.
To find out how much this will cost for your property go to
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- Accept Lane County’s policies.
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Enter your street address in the search area.
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Click on the Tax Account Data number.
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Find your Assessed Value under 2022 or 2023 on the 1st line of the Valuation History box.
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- Multiply your assessed value by .0024. For example an assessed value of $120,000.00 would result in a tax of $288.
- You can also find your assessed value on your last property tax statement.
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* Make sure to use your Assessed Value NOT the Real Market Value.
** Need help figuring this out? Contact us at info@rowrivervalley.org and one of our volunteers will be happy to walk you through it.