Fire Season Begins Friday June 9th, 2023

The Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA), the Umpqua National Forest, and the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Roseburg District have announced that the 2023 fire season will officially begin Friday, June 9th at 12:01 AM. All private, county, state, and Bureau of Indian Affairs land within the Douglas District as well as the public lands within the Umpqua National Forest and Roseburg District BLM are included in the fire season declaration, which imposes certain fire restrictions on the public and industrial operators to help prevent wildfires. Douglas County Fire District #2 follows these recommendations and burning will no longer be allowed.

In addition to the declaration of fire season, the DFPA will implement Public Use Restrictions Friday, and the BLM Roseburg District will issue a Fire Prevention Order for BLM-administered lands. Public use restrictions will be assessed and announced later for the Umpqua National Forest. These fire prevention restrictions are put in place to ensure fire-prone activities do not start wildfires.

For more information on the Umpqua National Forest restrictions, please visit
https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/umpqua/fire.
For further information on BLM-managed lands, please visit https://www.blm.gov/orwafire.

Notice of Budget Committee Meetings

A public meeting of the Budget Committee of Douglas County Fire District No. 2, to discuss the budget for fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2024 will be held at 522 SE Washington Ave, Roseburg. The meeting will take place on the 2nd of May, 2023 at 5:30PM. The purpose of this meeting is to receive the budget message and to receive comments from the public on the budget. A copy of the budget document may be inspected or obtained after April 25th, 2023 at Douglas County Fire District No. 2 Headquarters, 1400 Buckhorn Road, Roseburg, between the hours of 7:00AM and 5:00PM Monday through Thursday. These are public meetings where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place. Any person may appear at the meetings and discuss the proposed budget with the Budget Committee. If you would like to participate through videoconferencing or telephonically, please call the business office at (541) 673-5503 during normal business hours, prior to Monday May 1st, 2023 for instructions.

2022 Fire Season Ends

The 2022 fire season officially ends Sunday, October 23rd, 2022 as a result of recent wetting rains and an overall cooling trend that has returned to the area. With the end of fire season, both public and industrial fire restrictions that were implemented through DFPA will no longer be in effect.

A list of fire restrictions and closures in place through private industrial landowners can be found online at https://ofic.com/private-forestland-closures/.

Despite fire season coming to an end, fire officials advise residents to exercise caution when burning yard debris or when using fire in the woods. Several days of sunshine and dry weather during the fall months can create a fire risk even if a week or more of cool, wet conditions precede them.

When burning yard debris, make sure to have an adequate fire trail around the pile before ignition begins and have fire tools and water supply at the burn site. Debris piles should never be left unattended and should be fully extinguished before leaving the area. If a debris burn escapes containment, the responsible party may be held financially responsible for the resulting fire suppression costs and associated damages. Please remember that yard debris means organic yard waste such as leaves and branches. Burning of trash, cardboard, and construction materials is never permitted.

OSFM SET TO HOST TOWNHALL MEETINGS ON 2022 OREGON DEFENSIBLE SPACE CODE DEVELOPMENT

The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is announcing a series of town hall meetings to talk about the 2022 Oregon Defensible Space Code, its development, timelines, and upcoming opportunities for community input.

The OSFM has been working through an open and transparent process with the Oregon Defensible Space Code Development committee; a diverse group of stakeholders, to develop the new code based on the framework established through SB 762. To continue that open and transparent process, the OSFM will host a series of 17 community townhalls across Oregon beginning the week of August 1. The first of the series will be held in Southern Oregon.

The meetings will be hosted in Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass, and Roseburg. Dates and times for each community meeting are as follows:

• August 2 at 11:30 am – 1 pm, Ashland, Ashland High School, 201 S Mountain Ave
• August 2 at 5:30 – 7 pm, Medford, Hedrick Middle School, 1501 E Jackson St
• August 3 at 5:30 – 7 pm, Grants Pass, Performing Arts Center (PAC), 830 NE 9^th St
• August 4 at 5:30 – 7 pm, Roseburg, Roseburg Public Safety Building, Umpqua Room, 700 SE Douglas Ave.

For a full schedule, please visit Oregon Defensible Space Code webpage.

In June, the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University released the Oregon Wildfire Risk Map. Oregon Senate Bill 762 directs the OSFM to establish minimum defensible space code standards and where those may apply, which are areas identified in both the high or extreme risk and in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). 

The OSFM has set up a special section on its website dedicated to the defensible space code development process. Those wishing to learn more can do so here defensible space code requirements.

FIRE SEASON BEGINS JUNE 24, 2022

Douglas County Fire District No. 2 and Winston-Dillard Fire District will be joining the Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA), the Umpqua National Forest, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Roseburg District in announcing that the 2022 fire season will officially begin Friday, June 24th at 12:01 AM. Douglas County Fire District No.2 and Winston – Dillard Fire District will be following the same fire restriction listed with DFPA.