New Grant Co. Firewise Director discusses community fire protection

By Logan Bagett on Thursday, January 30th, 2025 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories

JOHN DAY – Grant County Firewise Coordinator Tyler Bales was on KJDY’s Coffee Time Wednesday and said Grant County has nine Firewise communities, including two new ones:

“In the last two years, we’ve added two. One is Antelope Lane off of Laycock Creek, and the other one is Izee—specifically around Izee, and it actually encompasses a little bit of Crook County as well.”

Bales explained one of the benefits of being in certified a Firewise community:

“It can help give a voice for the community. Firewise is actually called ‘Firewise USA.’ It is a federally recognized program, and also recognized by our state agencies as well.

You know, if you’re applying for a grant…it can help ‘weight’ your application a little bit more. It can also help start a conversation on the other side of the fence.”

Listen to the full podcast with Firewise Coordinator Tyler Bales below: