by Eleanor Greene, outreach and communications coordinator, and Laura Taylor, forest conservationist
2024 was another record-breaking wildfire season in Oregon with over 1.9 million acres burned. As the summer turned to fall, Rachael Brake, longtime community organizer in the Skyline Ridge Neighborhood, began connecting with our Forest Conservationist, Laura Taylor, and Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Fire Risk Reduction Specialist, Jen Warren to bring more information and resources about wildfire preparedness to the residents of the Skyline Ridge.
Our common goal was to help residents prepare their homes and properties for a wildfire so they knew how to safely evacuate, improve the odds of their homes surviving, and maintain their lands so their forests could rebound faster. Together we developed a vision of a day-long hands-on workshop in the spring of 2025 where folks could see real-life examples of what to do—and not do. The Skyline Grange was chosen to be the venue since it is a well-known meeting spot for the Skyline Ridge community, and could serve as a practical example of what to look for when considering wildfire risk reduction actions both around a home and in a forest. As our planning proceeded, many additional partners were brought onboard to ensure participants had a well-rounded view of the issue.
How the Day Went
The event was presented by West Multnomah SWCD, Skyline Grange #894, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Portland Fire and Rescue, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, and Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management. The organizations came together for many months of planning an agenda of hands-on workshops designed for this specific community.
The workshops included “Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire” about strategies for hardening your home against ignitions and creating defensible space, led by Jen Warren, Fire Risk Reduction Specialist at the Oregon State Fire Marshal, and Kim Kosmas, Senior Public Education Officer with Portland Fire and Rescue.
The second workshop was “Plan Your Escape” led by Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. In that session, participants learned how to sign up for emergency notifications, how agencies coordinate during a wildfire, and what individuals can do to be prepared to evacuate.
The third workshop, which were attended in rotation groups by participants, was “Sustain Your Effort” with Laura Taylor, Forest Conservationist at West Multnomah SWCD and Rachel Mauch, Community Wildfire Forester at Oregon Dept. of Forestry. Participants learned how they could prioritize fuels reductions work on their yard or landscape, and strategies to make the work sustainable for them for the long-term.
Shining a Light on Volunteers
West Multnomah SWCD, as a member of the event-planning committee, also coordinated a number of organizations to present at tables during lunch and after the event. These organizations provided participants with more information on many different resources they have access to and volunteers at the tables had meaningful conversations around participants’ individual questions.
Tablers included: American Red Cross, Division of Financial Regulation (insurance info), Firewise Communities, Metro, Multnomah County, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Portland Fire & Rescue, Portland General Electric, Portland Parks Bureau, Skyline Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET), Tualatin Valey Fire & Rescue, and West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District.
Much of the success of this event was due to the involvement of the community, in particular that organized by the Skyline Grange. Members of the Grange helped recruit participants, made and served lunch, and were crucial to setup and clean up. We owe a special thank you to this group.
Feedback from the Day
From the post-event survey, we got a lot of great feedback about the day, with all responders giving the day a 4 or 5 out of 5 with how the day met their expectations.
[My favorite part of the event was…] “Meeting first responders and agencies involved in the event of a wildfire evacuation. However, ALL of the workshops were beneficial and well done!”
“Going outside seeing landscaping examples helped me realize how I can do likewise at my home, seeing how to reduce chance for wildfire spread, how ladder fuels can be eliminated. Walking around the building alerted me to things I wouldn’t have considered risky, like stuff up against the house, not only wood chips and certain types of vegetation, but wood left laying around, garden hose, etc, and seeing gaps in siding where embers can enter. Until this workshop I thought 1/4” mesh screens were sufficient. Now I know we need 1/8” mesh.”
“I appreciated making acquaintances with Skyline neighbors, hearing their experiences, learning from their questions, and seeing tools used to remove blackberries better than what I’ve been using. I realize it took a lot of planning and organization for Skyline’s event with so many community partner info tables. Thanks so much for your effort hosting this event.”
While this event was a great success this first year, we hope to make it even better in the future by providing participants with ways to collaborate with their neighbors after the event is over, and providing hands-on learning in more of the sessions, as advised by community feedback.