Preparing your Oregon home for wildfire season: practical steps that work
Wildfire risk touches many parts of Oregon, from dry eastern foothills to forested mountain slopes and even urban edges. Taking practical, prioritized steps to reduce risk around your property and prepare your household for evacuation can greatly improve safety and peace of mind.
Focus on defensible space, home hardening, emergency planning, and community action.
Create defensible space around your home
– Start at the structure and work outward.
Keep the first several feet around your house free of combustible materials: store firewood away from walls, use noncombustible ground cover near foundations, and clear dead leaves from gutters and roofs.
– Maintain a lean, clean, and green zone extending dozens of feet: prune trees so branches are separated, remove ladder fuels (low brush beneath tree canopies), and thin dense shrubs to discourage crown fire spread.
– Consider spacing and fuel breaks: maintain distance between trees and between tree crowns to reduce the chance fire will jump from tree to tree.
Harden your home against embers and radiant heat
– Roofing and vents matter. Ember-resistant roofing and screened or ember-resistant vents reduce the chance of embers entering attics or lofts. Keep roofs and gutters free of debris.
– Replace or protect exposed wooden elements such as fascia, eaves, and decks with fire-resistant materials or defensible construction techniques.
Cover under-deck cavities and use metal flashing where practical.
– Upgrade windows where possible.
Tempered glass and multi-pane windows are less likely to fail under radiant heat than single-pane glass.
– Keep exterior walls clear of combustible items—trash cans, stacked wood, and patio furniture should be moved inside or stored away from the home when wildfire is nearby.
Make a clear evacuation plan
– Identify multiple evacuation routes from your property, and choose a primary and backup destination outside the danger zone.
– Assemble an emergency “go bag” with essential documents, medications, a change of clothes, phone chargers, and pet supplies. Keep important documents backed up digitally in a secure cloud storage.
– Plan for pets and livestock: have carriers, leashes, and transport options ready. Pre-arrange shelters or friends who can take animals if needed.
– Sign up for county or city emergency alerts, and keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio to receive NOAA weather and emergency information if power and cell service are down.
Work with neighbors and local programs
– Community mitigation multiplies impact.
Join or organize neighborhood fuel-reduction projects, chipping days, or volunteer Firewise efforts that reduce fuels over larger areas.
– Learn about and support prescribed burning and forest health projects led by local fire districts, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and land managers—these treatments reduce landscape-level risk.
– Take advantage of local resources: many districts offer home assessments, educational materials, and rebate programs to help with defensible space or home-hardening improvements.
Review insurance and documentation
– Check homeowner and renter policies to understand coverage for wildfire-related damage, temporary housing, and personal property. Keep an inventory of valuable items and recent photos, stored digitally and offsite.
Small steps taken early make a big difference. By creating defensible space, hardening vulnerable parts of your home, rehearsing an evacuation plan, and working with neighbors and local agencies, Oregon homeowners and renters can reduce risk and improve readiness when wildfire threatens. Start with one task this week—clean gutters, sign up for alerts, or clear a path to your vehicle—and build from there.
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