Central Oregonians Show Their Commitment to Preparedness

With some of the great fall weather in Central Oregon, residents in the Bend area took advantage of the Half Price Yard Debris Sale and delivered 9,991 cubic yards of flammable yard waste to Deschutes Recycling. In partnership with the FireFree program, Deschutes Recycling offered the Half Price event to encourage residents to recycle yard waste instead of risking an escaped debris fire by burning it. Residents in Jefferson County also responded by bringing 4,866 cubic yards of yard debris to Box Canyon Transfer Station in Madras during their FireFree event. 

This brings the total FireFree material collected this spring to 14,857 cubic yards in the regional area!

“With the long fire season we had this year, locally and throughout the state, provided a great reminder for residents that fire preparedness is a year round activity,” says Alison Green, Program Coordinator for the FireFree program.  “The Fall Half Price Sale and events regionally give residents a terrific alternative to dispose of their flammable yard waste without burning,” adds Green. 

From October 30th through November 10th local residents continued with their defensible space projects by cleaning up pine needles, brush and tree limbs from around homes to help prepare their properties for wildfire next season.
 FireFree is a year-round effort to educate community members and increase resident participation in preparing for wildfires.  Residents are encouraged to visit www.FireFree.org for more information about defensible space, reducing the structural vulnerability of homes and getting prepared for fire season.

For more information about FireFree activities in your area, call your local fire department or Project Wildfire at 541-322-7129.