Bend Fire & Rescue is ramping up for the upcoming wildfire season with their Prevention Division participating at events in Bend and the surrounding rural community over the next several months, educating neighborhoods on what they can do to help our community mitigate wildfire risk. Below is a list of upcoming events that you may be interested in attending for a photo and interview opportunity with prevention staff:Firewise Events will include time for debris clean-up and education about defensible space, a presentation by prevention staff on a fire safety topic of the neighborhood’s choice, an appearance by our community engine that is equipped with education and interactive features for the kids, and a BBQ for everyone to end!
Fire Ready Bend will be a multi-agency effort between Deschutes County, Project Wildfire, Bend Police Department and Bend Fire & Rescue hosted by the Bend Neighborhood Associations. Presentations will be centered on wildfire safety. Buster the Fire Dog mascot will be present, there will be Police K9s along with the community engine for families to check out and learn about Bend Fire & Rescue.
Tumalo Community Day will be hosted by Bend Fire & Rescue, and is a family fun community event promoting safety themes and the different programs and services that Bend Fire & Rescue provides to the community. It will be a showcase of fun activities throughout the day including a racecar workshop for kids to learn about seatbelt safety (sponsored by Home Depot), a junior firefighter agility challenge and an appearance by Airlink (weather depending). A public release will follow.
Sundance Community This Saturday:
Bend Fire & Rescue will be offering a free, live-fire training on the use of fire extinguishers for residents of the Sundance neighborhood Southeast of Bend this Saturday, April 15 from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. The event is part of Sundance’s ongoing commitment to fire prevention as a recognized Firewise community.
On November 24, 2022, Sundance resident Barbara Murphy went to baste her family’s Thanksgiving turkey when she realized grease had caught fire at the bottom of the oven. Unable to find her own fire extinguisher, she went to three neighboring homes before she found a working fire extinguisher she could borrow. By then, the smoke had set off her security alarm, summoning a response from Bend Fire. Fortunately, the fire was contained to the oven and there was no damage to the home.
“I think people need to be vigilant about knowing where their fire extinguishers are, and ensuring they remain in good order,” Murphy said. “Things can get out of control really quickly.”
Sundance is no stranger to fire. In 1996, lightning ignited the Skeleton Fire, which destroyed 19 homes in the neighborhood. 25 years later, residents organized to reduce flammable fuels and earn recognition as a Firewise community. They were the first neighborhood to do so in Deschutes County without the benefit of a homeowners association.
According to the National Fire Protection Association’s website: “The national Firewise USA recognition program provides a collaborative framework to help neighbors in a geographic area to get organized, find direction, and take action to increase the ignition resistance of their homes and community and to reduce wildfire risks at the local level.”
The Sundance Fire event will feature a free chili and cornbread lunch. The members of the Firewise committee will also promote Deschutes County’s free yard debris recycling event, Fire Free, scheduled to take place May 6 – 21 at Knott Landfill, and provide recommendations on the removal of flammable fuels to create defensible space around homes.
