Community Wildfire Protection Planning Program
The Row River Valley Community Wildfire Protection Plan is being developed as part of a funded wildfire mitigation planning program supported by Federal Emergency Management Agency and Oregon Emergency Management. This program exists to help communities like ours take a proactive, locally guided approach to reducing wildfire risk before an emergency occurs.
Wildfire planning is most effective when it is rooted in local knowledge and aligned with state and federal mitigation frameworks. Through this program, our community is working directly with emergency management partners to evaluate real conditions on the ground and translate them into clear, actionable priorities that improve safety, resilience, and coordination.
Why a CWPP Matters
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan is an important bridge between local experience and larger wildfire mitigation systems. It creates a shared understanding of wildfire risk across agencies, responders, and residents, while also establishing a documented plan that can support future mitigation projects and funding.
For rural valleys like ours, a CWPP helps address challenges that are often overlooked, such as limited access routes, dispersed homes, aging infrastructure, and the need for coordinated evacuation planning. By identifying these risks together, the plan helps ensure that mitigation efforts are targeted where they will have the greatest impact.
Our Collaborative Approach
This planning effort is being developed in close coordination with the Row River Rural Fire Protection District, along with other local, county, state, and community partners. Each partner brings a different perspective, from emergency response and forest conditions to land use, infrastructure, and community needs.
The CWPP program emphasizes collaboration rather than top down planning. Our role is to convene partners, listen to residents, and ensure that the final plan reflects both technical expertise and lived experience in the Row River Valley.
From Planning to Action
This CWPP is not an endpoint. It is a foundation. The plan will help guide defensible space programs, fuels reduction efforts, access and evacuation improvements, and community preparedness initiatives. It will also position the Row River Valley to pursue future mitigation funding by clearly documenting risks, priorities, and partnerships.
By participating in this FEMA and Oregon Emergency Management supported program, our community is taking an important step toward reducing wildfire risk in a thoughtful, coordinated, and locally grounded way.
