Wildfire risk continues to increase across Oregon, but access to preparedness education is not evenly distributed. Spanish-speaking renters, farmworkers and forest workers often face barriers that limit their ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from wildfire.
These obstacles can include limited English proficiency, lower incomes, smoke exposure during outdoor work, lack of reliable transportation, limited authority to make safety changes in rental housing, and reduced access to insurance and emergency information.
Many wildfire preparedness programs and incentives are designed for English-speaking homeowners with stable housing, time and financial resources. That leaves many renter and farmworker communities underserved.
In 2023 and 2024, the Oregon State University Extension Service Fire Program identified a gap in wildfire preparedness resources for Spanish-speaking renters. The program partnered with Pineros y Campesinos del Noroeste — an Oregon nonprofit organization that serves Latino and Indigenous farmworkers, tree planters and other agricultural and forestry workers — to co-develop Incendio Aquí, Listos ya, a wildfire preparedness guide tailored to the realities of Spanish-speaking renters and farmworkers.
A 2024 pilot showed strong demand and confirmed the value of distributing materials through trusted community organizations. In 2025, OSU Extension expanded the effort by producing Version 2 of the Incendio Aquí guide and delivering an in-person, Spanish-language wildfire preparedness workshop in Hood River County.
Version 2 was developed using feedback from Pineros y Campesinos del Noroeste field educators after the 2024 wildfire season, along with input from community-based partners including Firebrand Resilience Collective in the Rogue Valley and Comunidades, a nonprofit in the Columbia Gorge. Updates strengthened information about renters’ insurance, evacuation without a personal vehicle, emergency alerts, smoke preparedness for outdoor workers and navigating displacement after a fire.
In parallel, Extension partnered with Comunidades and organizations from the Hood River All-Lands Partnership for Wildfire Resilience to offer a workshop conducted entirely in Spanish. The session focused on practical steps, including interpreting evacuation notices, accessing alerts in Spanish and understanding renters’ insurance. Organizers reduced barriers to attendance by providing a meal, welcoming children and offering stipends to offset the cost of attending.
Together, these 2025 efforts expanded access to wildfire preparedness education for Spanish-speaking renters and farmworker communities in Oregon. More than 10,000 copies of the updated guide were distributed statewide through Pineros y Campesinos del Noroeste and other community-based organizations, reaching families in the Rogue Valley, Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge. Distributing the guide through trusted partners increased the likelihood that information was not only received but also discussed and used.
The Hood River County workshop created space for Spanish-speaking residents to ask questions, share concerns and build confidence about how to prepare for wildfire in their community. The effort reinforced the importance of sustained, relationship-based engagement, especially when trust in emergency systems varies.
When more households have clear, relevant wildfire information — and can act on it — communities are better prepared to protect lives, health and livelihoods. Expanding preparedness to renters and farmworkers strengthens Oregon’s overall wildfire resilience.