By Mary Owen
Detroit and Idanha are becoming Firewise.
The two Santiam Canyon communities are the highest risk in northwest Oregon for the threat of wildfires impacting homes and other structures, according to the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection District. IDRFPD has teamed with the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service to help educate the communities to be Firewise.
“The Firewise Communities Program is designed to help organize, plan and conduct activities each year that make a difference in their communities’ wildfire safety,” said Andrea Martinez, a firefighter with IDRFPD. “The communities of Idanha and Detroit plan on being the first Firewise communities in Marion County, and will be hosting a Firewise Day on Saturday, May 6.”
The city of Detroit will host its event from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a project designed to help reduce wildfire risks.
“Bring woody debris only to the old Detroit Elementary School and we will dispose of it for you in the near future,” Martinez said. “All we ask is that you fill out the volunteer sheet to let us know how many hours you worked toward your Firewise project.”
Work that counts includes: limbing up trees and brush, removing dead vegetation, and such tasks as cleaning gutters and roofs.
The city of Idanha will have a community educational potluck from noon to 2 p.m. with the ODF, USFS and IDRFPD employees. Burgers and hot dogs will be provided, and attendees are asked to bring a side dish or dessert to share. Topics of discussion will include: defensible space, fuels reduction, wildfire prevention, and awareness of the wildfire hazardous area people live in.
“The program is a five-step process by which communities develop an action plan and encourage each other to become active participants in building a safer community,” Martinez said.
To help protect the cities and surrounding areas of the Willamette National Forest, IDRFPD needs assistance to provide fire protection, fire prevention, EMS and Hazmat first response. Recently, a three-day, door-to-door recruitment drive was held in both cities to spur interest in joining the team as paid-on-call (minimum wage) and volunteer emergency responders.
“You can participate in one or more different roles,” Martinez said. “To be a firefighter or emergency responder, you must be at least 18 years of age, have a good driving record, and a clear criminal history.”
Positions include firefighter, emergency medical responder, emergency medical technician, fire truck or emergency vehicle driver and support personnel.
“It’s very important for our fire district to maintain a volunteer base, as we are a volunteer fire department and when there is a fire, the volunteers will be there to help suppress it,” Martinez said. “We currently have less than 25 volunteers, and we are hoping to add more.”
Martinez said in the days following the recruitment drive the district added two more volunteers.
“After Idanha and Detroit become Firewise communities, we hope other communities in the canyon will also be interested in becoming one,” she said. “It would be very nice to see this program continue down the canyon. If anything, it makes our communities a safer place to live in the case of a wildfire.”
For information on the Firewise program, contact Martinez at 503-854-3540 or Levi Hopkins with ODF at 503-859-4323.
If interested in volunteering, e-mail idanhadetroit@
gmail.com, call 503-854-3494, stop by the Idanha or Detroit fire stations, or visit www.idanhadetroitfire.com.
