8-25-23
Greetings
Concerning Yesterday’s Fire:
As many of you may know by now, there was a significant fire at
Circling Hawk Lane yesterday afternoon. The fire began along the bike path and quickly spread with rapid growth to the surrounding brush and trees. There was significant crowning (where the trees flame up like candles) and this crowning could have easily spread across Row River Road and taken off up the hills. Luckily the winds were in our favor and the fire was contained to about 3 acres.
First, we want to acknowledge and thank South Lane Fire and Rescue as the first responders on the scene. In addition to SLFR, several Row River Fire Response Auxiliary volunteers, our own community firefighters, were part of the initial response and fire attack. We thank our wildland certified community volunteer firefighters who were on scene for the entire time, risking their lives for the safety of our community.
In addition, we
wish to thank all responding Mutual Aid districts including ODF, Goshen/Pleasant Hill, and Dexter Fire for their work to suppress this fire before it became out of control. This fire required multiple agencies to suppress. Because of our extensive training, mentorship, and ongoing partnership with SLFR, our community volunteers were able to integrate into the initial engagement of the fire. Our unit attacked the east flank of the fire in coordination with a unit responding on the west
side.
Eventually, as our mutual aid partners arrived, there were about 30 or more firefighters working on scene with multiple fire hoses and crews. It is not apparent from a ‘spectator’s view just how many crew members were working on the fire line—many more than you might expect. We required quite a bit of water for the incident, so we shuttled additional water with a tanker from our
water drafting point at my farm. By approximately 6 pm the fire was under control and nearly extinguished, no injuries or homes lost--thankfully.
I encourage you to drive down and have a look at the remaining fire scene. This fire clearly illustrates the urgent need for a fire district in our community; there was no chance that any single individual or homeowner group could have got this
fire out- a multiagency response with tenders, engines, and heavy equipment was required. This type of partnership is called Mutual Aid; a formal agreement amongst fire districts to offer aid and support to a requesting department at any
time; these agreements are supported by the Lane County Fire Defense Board for maximum effect and efficiency.
A fire of this size is why Row River Fire Response formed a public/private partnership with SLFR: to achieve operational fire response readiness as quickly as possible. The quicker we can be operational with an efficient locally based service the higher our chances of success.
Our first group of
volunteers have personally committed to multiple weeks of training and certification.
By mentoring with SLFR we are becoming operational in record time, however we will still need SLFR (and other Districts) to provide Mutual Aid for fires of this magnitude.
In addition, our operational readiness as a fully functional fire service is time sensitive because SLFR has only agreed to host the RRFR Auxiliary Unit for a limited time until our District is formed. Also, a community has to be within a district to receive free Mutual Aid from supporting fire departments—it’s an essential requirement by Oregon law.
Now, more than ever, is the time to show your support for the Row River Special Rural Fire Protection District by signing the petition to bring the District to a successful vote in May 2024.
Yes, there is a place and time for the homeowner to protect their home from fire loss including defensible space planning, water
storage, good garden hoses, water trailers, and fire extinguishers. Defensible space and fire prevention is one of RRFR’s core missions as evidenced by our grant for free wildfire fuels reduction by participating homeowners.
However, to be response ready and effective against fires similar to the one we experienced yesterday, we need a Row River
Special Rural Fire Protection District, complete with all the benefits that we need to change our destiny to one of a more resilient, firesafe, and secure community.
Imagine this fire burning towards your home—there is little that one can really do with a fire this hot and large, without a number of trained responders, equipped with radios, firefighting equipment, personal
protective equipment, and large effective, efficient fire apparatus that are specifically designed for these types of emergencies.
Please show your support for our volunteer firefighters and community, by attending the community Fire Prevention Fair and sign the petition for the Row River Special Rural Fire Protection.
