IMMEDIATE PRIORITY

Our Community Built the Fire District. Now We Must Build Its Stations.

Row River Valley residents came together to create a locally supported fire district. Land has been donated for the Dorena Main Station and Disston Fire Station, but local tax revenue is needed for emergency operations and is not being used to construct the stations.

Now we need funding partners and community support to turn these donated sites into permanent emergency infrastructure for our 1,250 residents, visitors, watershed, and surrounding forest lands.

Fire Stations for the Row River Area

The Row River area is a place of remarkable natural richness. Forested hillsides, rivers and wetlands support elk, deer, birds, fish, and countless other species. The Row River and its tributaries, including Sharps Creek and Layng Creek, are not just local waterways. They are a foundational part of the larger Coast Fork Willamette River watershed system, with direct and meaningful impact on the City of Cottage Grove and downstream communities. The valley is also home to the Row River Trail, one of the top bike and pedestrian destinations in Lane County, drawing residents and visitors year-round. At the upper end of the valley, the community serves as a doorway into the Umpqua National Forest, connecting people directly to vast forestlands, recreation, and critical watershed areas.

At the same time, the Row River area is rural, high wildfire risk, and served by limited emergency infrastructure. Many residents rely on a single primary access route, and emergency response times can be long due to distance and terrain. As wildfire seasons grow longer and more severe, the absence of nearby fire stations puts homes, visitors, forests, and water resources at increasing risk.

To address this need, the community came together to form the Row River Rural Fire Protection District and begin planning for two strategically located fire stations. The Dorena Main Fire Station will serve as the central hub for emergency response, coordination, and training, while the unmanned Disston Auxiliary Fire Station will provide critical coverage for the upper valley and forested areas where wildfire risk is especially high.Together, these stations will improve response times, protect lives and property, and help safeguard the watershed and surrounding forests that define this region.

These fire stations are essential not only for protecting lives and homes, but also for safeguarding the surrounding environment. The Row River watershed supplies drinking water, supports wildlife habitat, and connects directly to surrounding state and national forest lands. Local fire protection helps reduce the risk of catastrophic fires that can damage water quality, forests, and the long-term health of the region.

We are actively raising funds to support planning, preconstruction, and construction of both fire stations. This effort relies on a combination of public funding, grants, and community support. By investing in local fire stations, we are protecting not only our neighbors and homes, but also the wildlife, trails, forests, and water resources that make the Row River Valley a special place to live and visit.

To Donate: Click Here

or Contact us by Email

Help Build Our Fire Stations

Our community came together to establish the Row River Rural Fire Protection District. Land has been donated for stations in Dorena and Disston, and years of planning, permitting, site preparation, and volunteer work have brought both projects closer to construction.

Local tax dollars support emergency operations, equipment, training, and readiness. Building the stations requires separate funding.

Your gift will help turn donated land and completed groundwork into permanent emergency infrastructure. Every contribution brings our volunteer firefighters closer to having the secure, reliable facilities they need to protect residents, visitors, homes, forests, and the Row River watershed.

Give Online

Make a secure, tax-deductible contribution online.

Donate to the Fire Stations

Give by Check

Checks may be made payable to Row River Fire Response with “Fire Stations” written on the memo line.

Row River Fire Response
PO Box 4
Dorena, Oregon 97434

Become a Funding Partner

We welcome partnerships with foundations, businesses, public agencies, contractors, and others who can contribute funding, materials, professional expertise, or in-kind support.

Talk With Us About Partnering

info@rowrivercalley.org or call/text: 541-554-5518

Row River Fire Response, doing business as Row River Valley Community Partnership, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 88-4297067.

How the Row River Fire District and Fire Stations Are Funded

The Row River Rural Fire Protection District uses local tax funds only for operations. Given the size of our community, local tax revenue is carefully allocated to ensure reliable operations, and it does not extend to funding fire station construction.

No district tax dollars are used for fire station land, planning, site work, or construction.
Not one cent of local tax revenue goes toward purchasing property, pre-construction planning, land clearing, or building the fire stations.

Fire station projects are funded separately.

The Row River Valley Community Partnership (RRVCPP) is a local nonprofit organization made up of neighbor volunteers responsible for raising the funding needed to plan and construct the fire stations. This work includes coordination with private funders, Lane County, the State of Oregon, and the federal government.

Planning, coordination, and community outreach for the fire stations began before voters approved the fire district and continue today alongside district operations.

Where We Are Now and What Is in Progress

Over the past few years, our community has made substantial progress toward improving local fire protection and emergency readiness.

What has been achieved:

  • The community successfully voted to form the Row River Rural Fire Protection District, creating a locally governed and locally funded fire district.
  • The district is now operational and uses tax revenue solely for emergency response, equipment, training, and ongoing readiness.
  • Land for fire station sites has been secured.
  • Initial planning, coordination, and technical groundwork for fire station development have been completed.
  • Partnerships have been established with Lane County and state and federal agencies to support future infrastructure development.
  • Community volunteers have organized through a nonprofit to focus specifically on station planning, fundraising, and coordination.

What is currently in progress:

  • Fundraising for fire station planning and construction through private funders, grants, and public partners.
  • Pre-construction work, including design refinements, permitting, and foundational federal requirements such as environmental studies, income survey, land use review, and transportation studies.
  • Continued coordination with Lane County, the State of Oregon, and federal partners to align funding opportunities.
  • Planning for phased construction so that essential emergency response infrastructure can be built as funding becomes available.
  • Fire station construction is a multi-year process that depends on assembling several funding sources. While there may not always be visible activity at the site, work is ongoing behind the scenes to move the project forward responsibly and sustainably.

The RRVCP nonprofit coordinating this work remains fully engaged year-round. Effort continues throughout the year to advance planning, secure funding, and keep the fire station projects moving forward. While progress can take time, the commitment to seeing these stations built is constant, and the work will continue until that goal is achieved. We will continue to share updates as progress is made.

To Donate: Click Here

or Contact us by Email