Wallowa County Receives Funds for Firewise Equipment and Outreach

WALLOWA – The Wallowa County Department of Emergency Management and Wallowa County Fire Defense Board will receive $110,000 dollars from the Oregon State Fire Marshal. This is part of several ongoing projects being funded through the Fire Marshal’s Wildfire Risk Reduction Grants program.  

According to Wallowa County Emergency manager Paul Karvoski, the funds will primarily be used to purchase a new woodchipper to support the county’s Firewise communities. Though the chipper could be used by the county generally, the goal is to further support communities that have already taken fire safety into their own hands. For those unfamiliar, Firewise communities broadly refers to communities and groups that have self-organized to improve fire safety and resistance, such as by working collaboratively to create defensible spaces and by enforcing local standards on fuel reduction.

Funds not going toward the chipper may be used generally to support and expand the Firewise communities, such as through outreach programs or by assisting elderly and disabled individuals in making their property more defensible. 

For more information on the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s grant programs, visit: Oregon State Police : OSFM Grant Programs : Office of the State Fire Marshal : State of Oregon

---

---

---

---

Elkhorn Media Group