Brown Oregon Needs To Prepare For A Bad Wildfire Season

We’re still in the month of May, but officials in Salem are already sounding the alarm about the 2022 wildfire season. Oregon Governor Kate Brown said during a recent press conference conditions are ripe for another bad fire year.

"Already this year, I have declared drought emergencies in 15 counties. This is the most I have ever declared by this time of any year as your Governor.”

And while much is out of the control of everyday Oregonians, the Governor is calling on everyone to do their part to prevent man-made wildfires.

Despite a nationwide shortage of wildland firefighters, Oregon’s Department of Forestry says they not as short staffed as other regions. But, Fire Protection Division Chief Mike Shaw the state will still feel the impacts of the shortfall because the Beaver State frequently relies on resources from other states at the height of the fire season.

“Bottom line: we’re going to be in pretty good shape this year, as an agency. But we will get stretched if we get busy this summer, overall, as a collective firefighting community. 

The national outlook shows significant wildfire potential across a majority of Oregon by August.

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