BACKGROUND:
Like most fire departments in the state of Oregon and across the country, with lower numbers of active volunteers and limited staffing, the fire department has struggled with maintaining adequate numbers of firefighters for mitigation of larger incidents. This shortage is most evident during the summer months. Student firefighters are on summer break, career staff tend to use more vacation time, and the risk of wildland fire is much greater.
In 2021, the Oregon Legislature appropriated funds to allow the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office (OSFM) to create a Wildfire Season Staffing grant. This grant distributes funding to local fire service agencies to augment firefighting staffing. The intent is to provide an increase in staff hours or seasonal personnel for fire departments with the hope that fires can be controlled before they grow too large.
Fire department staff applied for, and were approved to receive the maximum amount of $35,000 from this OSFM Wildfire Season Staffing grant.
The fire department would use these funds to offset the cost of hiring some of the student firefighters as seasonal maintenance staff; conducting hydrant maintenance, hose testing, painting, yard work, and other maintenance or support work. This program, started in 2021, incentivizes the students to stay here during the summer months. The remaining grant funds would be used to pay overtime for firefighters to cover vacancies in the staffing schedule.