Enclosure 3B - Project Summary Form
101
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Community Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Don Matlick
Oregon Department of Forestry
Phone:
Type of Applicant: (enter appropriate letter in box)
A
503-945-7444
FAX:
503-945-7454
Email:
Dmatlick@odf.state.or.us
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
2600 State Street, Salem OR 97310
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
A. State
H. Independent School District
B. County
I. State-Controlled Institution of Higher Learning
C. Municipal
J. Private University
D. Township
K. Indian Tribe
E. Interstate
L. Nonprofit Organization
F. Intermunicipal
M. Other (Specify) _______________________
G. Special District
nty
I. State-Controlled Institution of Higher Learning
Project Coordinator
C. Municipal
J. Private University
Greg Wagenblast, Unit Forester
D. Township
Organization/Jurisdiction: Oregon Dept of Forestry
Cascade District – Eastern Lane Unit
K. Indian
Tribe
with Oakridge Fire Department, Hazeldell Rural Fire
District,
Lowell Fire Department, and Willamette National Forest/Oakridge RD.
Phone: ODF 541- 726 - 3588
E. Interstate
FAX: ODF 541
726-2501
Email: gwagenblast@odf.state.or.us
L. Nonprofit Organization
Project Information
F. Intermunicipal
M. Other (Specify) _______________________
Project Title:
Upper Willamette Community Fire Planning Project
Proposed Project Start Date:
October, 2004
G. Special District
Federal Funding Request:
Proposed Project End Date:
December, 2006
Total Project Cost:
$75,000
$112,500
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please prioritize, and explain if the projects are stand alone, sequential, or other:
Yes, this is State priority # 3.
Brief Project Summary: Who, What, Where, Desired Outcomes in relation to NFP Goals and Community Risk Assessment and
Mitigation Plans (This should summarize page 2).
In 2002 three wildfires threatened the communities of Westfir and Oakridge. Six other major wildfires have occurred within five miles
of these communities in the last 23 years, in addition to multiple smaller fires in the Lowell-Oakridge area. This project is a
community-based effort to begin comprehensive planning to reduce the threat to life and property losses related to wildfires in the
rural/urban interface. This project will focus on providing:
Initiation and Coordination of the Community Fire Planning Effort. Blending the California Community Fire Plan Template with
the Outline for a Community Fire Plan (recently drafted by Program for Watershed and Community Health at University of Oregon,)
the agencies mentioned above will engage the community in developing a broad-based Community Fire Planning process.
Participation of local stakeholders is an imperative part of the process, and the sponsoring agencies are uniquely positioned to
communicate effectively with all segments of the community.
Education and Prevention Information. A Community Demonstration project is planned to focus on motivating residents and
landowners to decrease the immediate risk to their investments by wise construction practices, thoughtful landscaping and maintenance,
effective fuels reduction, and improved access for fire defense.
Project Location: Between
Oakridge,
Westfir, and Lowell, Oregon, inclusively
County:
Federal Congressional District:
LANE
4
Name of Federal, tribal, and/or State Official with whom you coordinated this
proposal:
Telephone number of Contact:
DENNIS SULLIVAN, USFS
541-782-2291
Enclosure 3B (Page 1 of 3) – Project Narrative Description
Applications for funding must include a narrative response that describes the proposal. Please do not submit responses longer than one page, single
space, 12-pitch font.
Describe project including, but not limited to:
Address these
items as
applicable:




change fire behavior through fuels
reduction
increase community education and
awareness
enhance fire protection capability
desired outcome





WHO are your collaborators - are they current or potential collaborators?
describe the relationship of this plan’s desired outcome to NFP Goals and to any
existing community fire protection plan.
project time frames and matching or contributed funds
tools and/or skills needed to complete project
specific project location, geographic extent, and fire risk assessment methodology
For this project, explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning, through a “Local Coordination Group.” If you haven’t worked
with a local coordination group, why not?
 The Community Fire Plan will be a framework from which to evaluate overall community priorities for reducing the risk
from wildfire. Altering wildfire behavior within the community through a fuels reduction program is expected to be an
outcome of the citizen planning process.
 The focus of the Community Fire Plan is to educate the community and increase its awareness through creation of the
Fire Plan. The process is as important as the resulting plan. The entire community will mature with respect to its
understanding of wildfire and how wildfire is affected by human activity. Active engagement of the community is one of
the anticipated outcomes, and this will lead directly to increased education and awareness.
 By assessing the overall community strengths and weaknesses with respect to fire protection, and increasing the
awareness of the citizens, the Community Fire Plan will improve overall fire protection within the targeted communities.
Through implementation of the Plan each home will be more likely to survive a wildfire, dangerous access routes will be
improved, surrounding fuels will be reduced, water access will be enhanced and documented for quick reference, and
agencies and citizens will have well-practiced working relationships.
 The anticipated outcomes of the proposed project are as follows:
1) The Community Fire Plan project will empower the community to launch and guide a process for determining
priorities to maximize wildfire safety, integrating local, state, and federal plans with the community’s desired
objectives within the urban interface.
2) The community will develop ownership of these efforts and excellent working relationships will be enjoyed
among all participants.
3) Fire-safe & defendable citizen-generated improvements will be implemented within the demonstration area.
 Collaborating agencies and organizations include the following:
Oregon Department of Forestry, Hazeldell Rural Fire District, Oakridge Fire Department, Westfir Fire Department,
Lowell and Dexter RFD’s, USDA Forest Service, Lane County Road Department (potential) and Lane County Sheriff
Emergency Services (Potential), Lane Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration (Potential), Army Corp
of Engineers (Potential), Oregon Departments of Transportation and Aviation (Potential), Union Pacific Railroad
(Potential), Cities of Lowell, Dexter, Oakridge, and Westfir, Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council, University of
Oregon’s Program for Watershed and Community Health.
 The proposed project for development of the community fire plans is the foundation from which these communities will
develop public safety measures, education emphases, and fuel hazard modifications to reduce the current risk levels. This
initial project will give the communities a planning and prioritization process for current and future management options,
including fire protection, education, training, fuels reduction, and future intra-community collaboration.
 Project Time Frames: The education and planning will start in the fall of 2004. Defendable space Demonstration Project
will be accomplished prior to the 2005 fire season. Community Fire Plan process development will be initiated in January
2005, and proceed with plan development through the end of the project time frame. Funding sources beyond the grant
include USFS, ODF, local grants, and community sources.
 Tools and skills: The primary skill needed with respect to the proposed project is an ability to facilitate, coordinate,
cooperate, and motivate. The agencies and the community easily have the resources, including technical knowledge,
necessary to prepare and implement a plan. A vehicle will be provided by ODF, and some additional items such as a laptop
computer and digital camera may also be needed. A chipper may be purchased or rented for the demonstration projects.
 Location: Eastern Lane County from 10 to 40 miles southeast of Eugene in and near the communities of Lowell, Westfir,
Dexter, and Oakridge. Fire risk assessment will be enhanced by GIS maps showing aspect, slope, tax-lots, ownership,
homesites, access roads, vegetative cover, and other relevant characteristics. It is expected that individual hazard
assessments will be conducted in addition to landscape-scale evaluation.
Enclosure 3B (Page 2 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
Applications for funding, must include narrative responses that address the following four criteria. Be sure you address every one
briefly, yet thoroughly. Limit your responses to the area provided.
1. Planning for Action (40 points)
A. Describe your desired plan outcome and how the outcome will be measured.
B. How will the plan address :



Fire behavior changes through fuels reduction
Community education and awareness
Enhanced suppression capability
C. How will the completed plan be implemented, and by whom? OR How does this plan enhance or complete previous fire planning by the
community?
D. How will the plan address landowner responsibility for implementation of this plan?
E. Describe your ability to complete project in one year of receipt of funds
A. The Anticipated Outcomes Are:
 The Community Fire Plan project will empower the community to launch and guide a process for determining priorities
to maximize wildfire safety. The community’s desired objectives within the urban interface will be integrated with other
local, state, and federal plans.
 Hazards leading to the identification of the Oakridge area as a “Community at Risk” will be mitigated by
implementation of the proposed community fire plan.
 Community ownership of these efforts and excellent working relationships among all participants.
 Citizen-generated improvements within the demonstration area that are fire safe and defendable.
Success will be determined by the dynamic, continuing process of Community Fire Planning and completion of two
demonstration projects.
B1. In order to alter future fire behavior, the Community Fire Plan will address Fuels Reduction by identifying fuels
distribution and arrangement; ranking of relative fuel flammability and potential fire intensity; determining the fuels
condition class; identifying natural fuel breaks; analyzing historic fire behavior; assessing and evaluating risks and
resources; and determining desired future condition, mitigation goals, and highest priority fuels reduction projects.
B2. The community’s level of education and awareness relative to risk from wildfire will be sharply increased by public
meetings, news media coverage of the planning process, and the planning process itself. Also, door-to-door contact will be
made by personnel from participating agencies.
B3. Enhanced Suppression Capability: The Community Fire Plan process will result in increased capabilities and
infrastructure protection through developing a standard suppression procedure, training needs, inventory of protection
resources available in the area and establish evacuation procedures for each of the two fire plan areas. These assessments
will provide each protection agency with the foundation to develop action plans to improve the capabilities in the future and
establish potential future grant projects or suppression equipment needs.
C. The local rural and city fire departments will be directly responsible for implementation of these community fire plans
since they live in and have ownership of the affected communities. Implementation of the plan will include assistance and
support from those agencies and partners indicated by the plan with responsibilities for the various activities or projects.
ODF & USFS will share responsibilities also
D. The planning process itself, by engagement of community members, will create “buy-in” of the affected landowners.
Local industrial forest landowners have already demonstrated willingness to manage fuel hazards near impacted
communities. Positive results from real-life fire planning prior to a wildfire disaster will be communicated to the
landowners and homeowners. The plan is expected to address the need for maintenance of risk-management efforts.
Additionally, Oregon has passed interface hazard laws which will impact landowners in the future requiring hazard
mitigation work around their structures. These laws will be discussed and promoted through the planning process.
E. All of the communities involved have requested assistance to develop these plans based on their past experiences with
local fires and media coverage of recent incidents in California. The communities of Westfir, Oakridge and unincorporated
Hazeldell are surrounded by Willamette National Forest and private timber holdings. More than fifteen human-caused fires
occurred within two miles of these communities in the last 10 years. Last summer the Incident Command Post for the 6000acre Clark Fire was located in the town of Lowell. Several homes were threatened. Integrated trans-ownership planning,
based on community-selected priorities, will directly address the threat to communities and individual homes. The
concerned parties have verbally committed themselves to completing the plan within the one year period specified. These
parties are very interested in developing a large scale hazard reduction/mitigation project for these areas and realize that this
foundation plan must be completed prior to starting future hazard mitigation operations.
2.
Enhancing Community Collaboration and Local Capacity. (30 points )
A. Describe your strategy for collaboration to develop this plan across multiple ownerships.
B. Identify the interested partners and members of the community who are involved in this project, and the level of their
involvement.
C. How will this project enhance local community collaboration and local capacity for cooperative action?
D. Describe skills or experience the community will gain through development of this plan.
Response:
A. The current high level of cooperation among local fire agencies would be the starting point for a broad community
coalition of stakeholders in forging a local planning process for reducing fire hazard. Interagency plans exist for the
Federal Lands and lands protected by ODF. This project will build on those cooperative relationships to develop a
comprehensive Community Fire Planning process incorporating the community and the four fire districts.
Participation of University of Oregon’s Program for Watershed and Community Health will enhance our sensitivity
to the under-represented segments of the community. The local watershed council and the City of Lowell will be
active participants, as well. These groups will come together to form a committee that will then identify goals and
objects for each community using one of several already existing community fire plan template available at this
time.
B. Collaborating agencies and organizations include the following:
Primary partners on the planning committee:
Oregon Department of Forestry,
Hazeldell Rural Fire District, Oakridge Fire Department, Westfir Fire Department, & Lowell and Dexter RFD’s
USDA Forest Service,
City of Lowell, Dexter, Oakridge, Westfir.
Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council
UO Institute for a Sustainable Environment’s Program for Watershed and Community Health
Secondary partners with the planning process:
Lane County Road Department
Lane Electric Cooperative,
Army Corp of Engineers
Oregon Department of Transportation,
Oregon Department of Aviation
Lane County Sheriff Emergency Services
Union Pacific Railroad,
BPA
C. This process will result in increased communication about the roles and capabilities of the various agencies and
organizations that have responsibilities related to fire protection in these areas. Through the committees and
documentation for the plan, the fire districts and their communities will have more information about how to
coordinate with each other.
D. The community will gain a basic understanding of wildland fire, fire behavior, hazard mitigation, resources
available from their local agencies, policies & procedures, and other topics related to a community fire plan process.
The two demonstration areas that are proposed to be completed with this planning process will also act as a tool to
educate the landowners. Public education of the hazards and mitigation techniques will be a primary outcome from
these two sources. The community will also have ownership in setting their goals and projects.
Enclosure 3B (Page 3 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
3.
Expanding Community Participation. (30 Points)
A.
Explain the level of cooperation, coordination and/or involvement of the Local Coordination Group. List the cooperators/members
(in a broad way) of the local area coordination group.
B.
Describe your strategy for leveraging funding. Who are the partners and what is their commitment to the plan’s completion,
including any existing or proposed cost-share agreements and their status.
C.
D.
Describe the extent of local support or opposition for the project.
E.
To what extent will this project be offered to serve as a model for other communities in your sub-geographic area, state-wide area?
Describe your strategy for post-plan marketing and collaboration for the successful implementation of the next steps described in the
plan.
Response:
A. As stated previously, the starting point for the local planning process is the current very high level of
B.
C.
D.
E.
cooperation among local fire agencies. This project will build on existing positive working relationships to
develop a comprehensive Community Fire Planning process incorporating a broad coalition of community
stakeholders. Consultation with the local watershed council regarding potential community participants has
already begun. Incorporation of the Program for Watershed and Community Health will enhance our ability to
include the under-represented segments of the community in the planning process. See above for the starting
list of cooperators.
The five fire districts along with the USFS and ODF have committed to participation and development of this
planning process. Each of the districts and agencies will contribute in-kind funding, in part, by providing
members to participate in the committee and to support the process. Anticipated costs to each of the partners
are demonstrated in the Project budget cost sheet attached at the end of this application.
In 2002 three wildfires threatened the community of Westfir. The suppression effort involved the USFS, ODF,
the Westfir volunteer fire department, the Oakridge volunteer fire department, the Lowell volunteer fire
department and the Dexter volunteer fire department. This proposal was developed cooperatively between the
Fire Departments of Oakridge, Westfir and Hazeldell RFD’s with technical support from ODF and the USFS.
The mayors of Oakridge and Westfir have reviewed the proposal. The proposal was presented to the Westfir
City Council and has been discussed with the Lowell City Administrator, Lowell Fire Chief, local watershed
council coordinator, and the director of UO’s Project for Watershed and Community Health. Calls to other
cooperators and partners, including Lane County Office of Emergency Services, are proceeding. This project
has evolved out of a request by the City of Westfir to the USFS to insure that fuel loading from the fire did not
hamper future fire control efforts. The communities, rural fire departments, and government agencies involved
see the need and the opportunity to make a difference in the amount of defendable space and fire safe homes in
this area through education, fuel reduction, and the maintenance of native vegetation so that future
accumulations of vegetation are managed at low risk levels.
Once the Community Fire Plan is developed and implemented, these areas will then have a foundation to build
upon for fire prevention and protection measures for their community safety. The development of the
Community Fire Plan is to be the initial phase of the broader Upper Willamette Wildland Urban Interface Fire
Protection Project. Additional grants will be solicited for education and mitigation practices in fuels reduction
or other projects as determined by the community fire plan. As the fuels reduction portion of the projects
begins, additional demand from the local residents is anticipated for equipment and labor, which will benefit
the local economy.
A small demonstration area for fuels reduction will provide some potential jobs or economic impacts to local
businesses. With the completion and implementation of the community fire plan, it is hoped that additional
grant funding can be procured for these areas and utilized for mitigation of the risks and other projects outlined
by the fire plan. Contractors in the area struggle to keep busy year round. Additional contracting opportunities
for brush disposal and fuel reduction can lead to employment in an area of high unemployment over the next 3
years. Coordinators involved with contract preparation and administration could be employed for a couple of
years. Coordination with PWCH will increase potential for low-income individuals to be considered for
employment opportunities.
Once this project is successfully underway it is anticipated that a similar process will stimulate community
momentum in the adjacent areas to initiate community fire planning. Other communities in the
Eugene/Springfield area or throughout the state will be invited to visit the project demo areas to see the results
and discuss the experience with the coordinators and participants to capture the positive outcomes and
capitalize on the improvements from the setbacks that were experienced.
Enclosure 3C - Project Work Form
Tasks
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Develop project action plan
 Community Fire Plan for
Oakridge/Westfir area
 Community Fire Plan for
Lowell/Dexter area
Oct 04 through Oct 06
FDs, ODF, USFS
Public Meetings for the fire plan
and demonstration projects
Oct 04 through Oct 06
FDs, ODF, USFS
Education
Nov 04 through Oct 06
FDs, ODF, USFS
Demonstration Area for fuels
reduction/Defendable space.
Nov 04 through Oct 06
FDs, ODF, USFS
Final Project Report
Dec 2006
FDs, ODF, USFS
Enclosure 3D Project Budget
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
25,000
12,190
6,500
3,500
25,000
12,190
6,500
3,500
9,000
5,729
650
400
9,000
5,729
650
400
3,500
1,150
300
150
3,500
1,150
300
150
7,500
500
500
200
7,500
500
500
200
14,500
1,900
1,400
900
14,500
1,900
1,400
900
Total
Personnel
Subtotal
$47,190
Fringe Benefits
Subtotal
$15,779
Travel
Subtotal
$5,100
Equipment
Subtotal
$8,700
Supplies
Subtotal
$18,700
Contractual
15,500
Subtotal
15,500
$15,500
Other
1,530
Subtotal
Total Costs
1,530
$75,000
$23,000
$1,530
$9,350
$5,150
$112,500
Project (Program) Income1
(using deductive alternative)
1
Program income is the gross revenue generated by a grant or cooperative agreement supported activity during the life of the grant.
Program income can be made by recipients from fees charged for conference or workshop attendance, from rental fees earned from
renting out real property or equipment acquired with grant or cooperative agreement funds, or from the sale of commodities or items
developed under the grant or cooperative agreement. The use of Program Income during the project period may require prior approval by
the granting agency.