Governor Kotek Invokes Emergency Conflagration Act for Telephone Fire
By Mindy Gould on Monday, August 5th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
SALEM- Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the eighth time of the fire season on the evening of August 1, 2024, in response to the Telephone Fire in Harney County. The resources necessary for protecting life and property from the fire are beyond local capabilities. Harney County Judge Hart requested assistance with life, safety, and structural fire protection and the state fire marshal concurred with that request.
“I continue to be alarmed by how quickly this fire season has escalated,” Governor Kotek said. “To date, I have deployed the National Guard, requested and received approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for seven Fire Management Assistance Grants, requested a Secretarial Disaster Declaration from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for agriculture recovery needs, and this marks my eighth use of the Emergency Conflagration Act this year. I want to thank our firefighters for their tireless work on the Telephone Fire and fires across the state, as well as the many partners that have come in to aid our communities.”
Oregon is utilizing every resource available to fight the wildland fires blazing across our state. The Governor has declared a Statewide Emergency, which streamlines cooperation between agencies and localities to marshal every resource at our disposal. State agencies are working with local communities to continuously assess what state and federal resources are needed. At the Governor’s direction, the National Guard has two Medevac crews and two bucket crews, as well as four 22-person hand crews supporting wildfire operations.
The Governor requested and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved seven Fire Management Assistance Grants.
Recovery starts the moment a wildfire breaks out, and the Governor is committed to not only protecting Oregon’s cattle, crops, and property, but also to supporting the agricultural community recover as quickly as possible.
The Governor has requested federal disaster recovery support through:
- Secretarial Disaster Designation for Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler. The Secretarial Disaster Designation allows the state to request federal assistance when weather conditions disproportionately harm an agriculture industry.
- Federal Lands Grazing Permits for alternative grazing areas and flexibility in grazing schedules to accommodate recovery across National Forest System lands.
- Weed-Free Forage emergency waivers for the use of non-certified weed-free forage necessary for soil stabilization and livestock feeding.
The Governor has also requested that the USDA work closely with state and local offices to expedite relief through the federal programs that address a broad array of agricultural and recovery needs.
A link to Executive Order 24-19 can be found here for the Telephone fire.
Following ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Kotek determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exists due to the fire, and the threat exceeds the firefighting capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment. The governor’s declaration allows the state fire marshal to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to support local fire service agencies on scene. This conflagration is declared only for the Telephone Fire threatening structures in Harney County.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Green Incident Management Team will be entering into unified command with the Complex Incident Management Alaska Team 1. The OSFM Green Incident Management Team was briefed at 9:00 pm on August 1, 2024.
