Wildfire season can make you feel helpless. Being informed and prepared puts you back in control—even in a worst-case scenario.
What to expect:
- Red Flag Warning: When weather conditions indicate risk is high for wildfire ignition and rapid spread, the National Weather Service will issue Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches. These conditions include warm temperatures, very low humidity, strong winds, drought and dry vegetation. DEC may activate our wildfire-prevention procedure, which reduces fire risks but can result in more frequent and longer power interruptions.
- Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS): DEC collaborates with wildfire experts and emergency responders to determine when power shutdowns are needed for public safety. While shutting off power reduces the risk of sparks from tree branches hitting power lines, it is our last resort. Please go to our PSPS page for more information.
- Communication: We do our best to notify our members of the possibility of a PSPS. We understand that losing power can create hardships and make receiving notifications more difficult. We will send updates about outages and power restoration via our website, social media, Smart Hub, robocalls, news releases and prerecorded status messages at 541-673-6616 option #4.
What to do during a wildfire:
- Monitor: Tune into your local radio or TV station for wildfire updates and evacuation orders. You can also sign up for alerts from your local sherriff’s department by clicking on the button for your county below:
- Air quality: Ashes can drift for miles and deteriorate the air quality. Visit airnow.gov to check your local Air Quality Index. If the AQI is bad, close your air conditioner’s fresh air intake/turn off your swamp cooler and seal all your doors and windows. Wear a KN95 mask if you must go outside. Run an air purifier if you have one, and change your HVAC filter once conditions have cleared.
- Safety: Call DEC and 911 if you see downed power lines and stay at least 100 feet away. Steer clear of any puddles or wet ground that is in contact with the line since water conducts electricity. Do not rely on social media to report outages, downed lines or unsafe conditions. Call us at 541-673-6616.
- Just in case: Keep basic supplies on hand in case you lose power and a backup power source if you rely on electric medical equipment. Keep your vehicle’s gas tank or your electric vehicle battery at least half full, map out at least two evacuation routes and have a bag packed with medications, important documents and cash.
Preventing Wildfire Spread
What is Douglas Electric Doing?
Douglas Electric Cooperative (DEC) is working year round to mitigate the potential for wildfire ignitions throughout our system, including but not limited to:
- Increased Right-of-Way (ROW) Trimming:Over the past 5-7 years, DEC has been increasing the number of ROW trimming crews that are used on an annual basis. We have also been successful in securing a $9.1M Community Wildfire Defense Grant specifically for the purpose of fuels reductions and hazard tree management. More information on the grant and what it has done for DEC and its members can be seen here
- Enhanced Vegetation Management: DEC engaged an independent forestry expert to evaluate our vegetation management which led to a program of hazard tree (a dead or distressed tree that is in danger of striking the lines) removal where the entire ROW is patrolled by a qualified forester. As part of that process, each tree is marked with paint, GPS coordinates are taken, and a picture of the hazard tree is recorded. The data gathered is used to ensure that the offending tree is removed as quickly as possible to reduce the potential hazard.
- Increased Use of Technology: DEC has invested in enhanced protective devices, AMI, fault indicators, weather monitoring, and increased SCADA monitoring to further leverage technology to mitigate risk.
- Coordination: Collaborating with local and state emergency managers, the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Oregon Department of Forestry, tribal authorities, fire districts, and emergency responders to plan and coordinate wildfire prevention and response efforts.
- Public Safety Power Shutoff: A Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is a strategy being used by electric utilities to keep the public safe during hot, dry, and windy conditions. Power lines are preemptively de-energized during these conditions to reduce the risk of igniting a wildfire from downed equipment or trees. Please go to our PSPS page for more information.
- Extensive Planning: We have dedicated a large amount of time and resources planning our Wildfire Mitigation Strategy. If you would like to see the latest Wildfire Mitigation Plan that was submitted to the Oregon Public Utility Commission, it can be cound here.
What Should You be Doing?
To increase your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire, choose fire-resistant building materials and limit the amount of flammable vegetation in the three home ignition zones. The zones include the Immediate Zone: (0 to 5 feet around the house), the Intermediate Zone (5 to 30 feet), and the Extended Zone (30 to 100 feet)
Immediate zone
The home and the area 0-5’ from the furthest attached exterior point of the home; defined as a non-combustible area. Science tells us this is the most important zone to take immediate action on as it is the most vulnerable to embers. START WITH THE HOUSE ITSELF then move into the landscaping section of the Immediate Zone.
- Clean roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris and pine needles that could catch embers.
- Replace or repair any loose or missing shingles or roof tiles to prevent ember penetration.
- Reduce embers that could pass through vents in the eaves by installing 1/8 inch metal mesh screening.
- Clean debris from exterior attic vents and install 1/8 inch metal mesh screening to reduce embers.
- Repair or replace damaged or loose window screens and any broken windows Screen or box-in areas below patios and decks with wire mesh to prevent debris and combustible materials from accumulating.
- Move any flammable material away from wall exteriors – mulch, flammable plants, leaves and needles, firewood piles – anything that can burn. Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches.
Intermediate zone
5-30’ from the furthest exterior point of the home. Landscaping/hardscaping- employing careful landscaping or creating breaks that can help influence and decrease fire behavior
- Clear vegetation from under large stationary propane tanks.
- Create fuel breaks with driveways, walkways/paths, patios, and decks.
- Keep lawns and native grasses mowed to a height of four inches.
- Remove ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) so a surface fire cannot reach the crowns. Prune trees up to six to ten feet from the ground; for shorter trees do not exceed 1/3 of the overall tree height.
- Space trees to have a minimum of eighteen feet between crowns with the distance increasing with the percentage of slope.
- Tree placement should be planned to ensure the mature canopy is no closer than ten feet to the edge of the structure.
- Tree and shrubs in this zone should be limited to small clusters of a few each to break up the continuity of the vegetation across the landscape.
Extended zone
30-100 feet, out to 200 feet. Landscaping – the goal here is not to eliminate fire but to interrupt fire’s path and keep flames smaller and on the ground.
- Dispose of heavy accumulations of ground litter/debris.
- Remove dead plant and tree material.
- Remove small conifers growing between mature trees.
- Remove vegetation adjacent to storage sheds or other outbuildings within this area.
- Trees 30 to 60 feet from the home should have at least 12 feet between canopy tops.*
- Trees 60 to 100 feet from the home should have at least 6 feet between the canopy tops.*
*The distances listed for crown spacing are suggested based on NFPA 1144. However, the crown spacing needed to reduce/prevent crown fire potential could be significantly greater due to slope, the species of trees involved and other site specific conditions. Check with your local forestry professional to get advice on what is appropriate for your property. Source: NFPA – Preparing homes for wildfire