Safeguard Your Home with Defensible Space
Creating defensible space — reducing or eliminating the things around a home and property that can catch fire — enhances community resilience and protects against wildfire damage. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Defensible Space Assessment Incentive Reimbursement Pilot Program provides eligible participants in selected high-wildfire hazard and socially vulnerable communities to help offset defensible space improvement costs. This program incentivizes proactive wildfire prevention and empowers Oregonians to create defensible space around their homes.
Through the Row River Fire Response (RRFR), a 501c3 non-profit, these services are available for the Row River residents at no charge, saving up to thousands of dollars of work around their home.
Interested residents of Disston, Culp Creek and Dorena areas can contact to apply for this free service. Please write to Karen.
email: programs@rowrivervalley.org or by mail: PO Box 4, Dorena OR 97434
Defensible space is the buffer you create between your business or home and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surrounds it. Proper defensible space can slow or stop the spread of wildfire and help protect your home or business.
Defensible space offers your home or business protection from wildfire, and even small actions make a big difference. Embers are the leading cause of home loss during a wildfire. They can travel up to three miles ahead of the large flame front. Wellmaintained defensible space can increase your home’s chance of survival by 75%.
- We recommend breaking it up into small weekend projects in the spring, fall, and winter.
- First, start at your home and work out from there. Remove combustible materials like dry leaves and pine needles from your roof, gutters, and eaves.
- Next, move to the foundation of your home and make sure combustible landscaping like bark dust or mulch is not touching your home. Consider replacing combustible landscaping with bare dirt, gravel, or pavers.
- Next, trim and limb bushes and trees so they are not touching your home. This does not mean you need to remove all the plants from your yard. Instead, give plants some space from one another. Consider removing tall brush from under
trees and some of the lower limbs so fire on the ground cannot get into the tree canopy. - Continue moving outward from your home to give added protection from wildfire.
- The main requirement is being a resident of the Disston, Culp Creek, or Dorena areas, including those who live along the Dorena Lake with a Cottage Grove zip code.
- As this grant comes through the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) the application process, both entry and exit reports, are required.
- The grant is first come, first serve.
- Priority goes to those who are physically unable to do the work themselves.
