Oregon State University embeds six fire specialists to enhance wildfire resilience in local communities; program focuses on inclusive outreach and education for 1.9 million acres burned in 2024

It’s an unwelcome but undeniable reality: Wildfires are becoming more frequent — and severe — across Oregon. And 2024 was another record year, with an estimated 1.9 million acres burned, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Also undeniable are the devastating impacts on landscapes and communities. There is a long history of wildfires disproportionately affecting people with fewer resources to prepare and recover, people who historically have not been included in management and decision-making.

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That’s starting to change.

The embeds six regional fire specialists to live and work in their service areas. The specialists bring expertise in their region’s ecology and fire history and collaborate with communities and agency partners on wildland fire outreach, education, fire adaptation strategies and efforts to reduce fuels and restore ecosystems.

The program’s director, Emily “EJ” Davis, says that while the program helps to bridge science, management, practice and policy, “what makes the fire program unique is our mission around ‘the people part,’ especially by drawing on the insights and knowledge of local communities.”

“Our team focuses not just on providing knowledge and training. We believe that to live with fire, there have to be changes in how we organize and work together. These are deeper cultural changes. It’s not just the technical content of the work we do, but ‘the how we do it’ that matters.”

That means creating welcoming, accessible, inclusive environments for outreach and education programs. It also includes simple but significant actions, like scheduling events outside typical work hours and providing translation services, food and accessible resources. Words also matter, Davis says. “Instead of referring to property owners and focusing fire preparedness solely on them, we focus on ‘community members’ and the needs of everyone to be ready for fire.”

Davis notes that a range of socioeconomic characteristics, such as poverty rates, speaking languages other than English or household crowding, can make it more difficult for people to be prepared for fire and recover if affected. As communities across the state are developing or updating their wildfire protection plans and other efforts to be fire-adapted, the Extension specialists are working with local partners to seek out and involve more vulnerable and less well-resourced residents in the decision-making process.

And, as with all OSU Extension programs, the sharing of knowledge goes both ways. “We see community members as partners in adaptation who have their own knowledge and capacity rather than passive recipients of information,” Davis says. “We are not always the teacher. We are often the facilitator and always one voice among many. I think this humble approach to listening and supporting is very appreciated.”

Davis says Extension fire specialists want to be respectful allies to equity and environmental justice partners and add value to their efforts when invited. For example, seeing a gap in Spanish language resources, in 2023 Extension published “Nuestro Futuro en Nuestros Manos” (“Our Future in Our Hands”), short guides about planning for fire, evacuation, how to deal with smoke and care for mental health. The series is available in both Spanish and English.

Further engagement with  community-based organizations to better understand their needs led to an additional fire preparedness guide in both languages, “Incendio Aqui, Listos Ya” (“We’re Ready for Wildfire”). The new publication is targeted more specifically to renters and those living in group housing such as agricultural quarters. Extension specialists also help organize events to reach non-English speakers alongside partners like the Extension Family and Community Health Program.

As climate change and wildfire threats evolve in different ways in different parts of Oregon, Davis says the Extension Fire Program and its partners will continue to adapt.