Oregon’s wildfire risk varies widely by landscape, climate, housing patterns and community capacity. That diversity makes it difficult to rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to training.
This project helps Oregon use public resources more effectively by building a shared training system for professionals who help communities prepare for wildfire.
Practitioners working in community wildfire adaptation need guidance that reflects Oregon’s ecological, social and regulatory realities. They also need consistent tools and language they can use across agencies and regions.
Prior to 2025, Oregon lacked a shared, Oregon-specific training program for professionals working on the front lines of wildfire mitigation and preparedness. That gap limited opportunities to align outreach, improve coordination and build a more consistent approach to reducing wildfire risk to homes and communities.
To address that need, Oregon State University Extension Service worked with state partners to design a training model tailored to Oregon.
Members of the OSU Extension Fire Program worked with the Oregon State Fire Marshal Fire Risk Reduction team, the Oregon State Fire Marshal Defensible Space Program coordinator and representatives from the Oregon Department of Forestry to develop the Oregon Community Wildfire Adaptation Training program in 2024.
The program was designed to provide cohesive, practitioner-focused education for people working in community wildfire adaptation. Its goal is to advance best practices that fit Oregon’s specific conditions and help practitioners apply those practices in the field.
In spring 2025, the team launched the first of five planned modules, Reducing wildfire risk to structures. The training equips participants to assess wildfire risk to structures and prioritize recommendations for mitigation while accounting for local ecological, social and regulatory conditions.
Pilot training strengthens skills and partnerships
The first module was piloted in May 2025, in Welches, with 20 professionals from 10 agencies and organizations across the state.
Participants said the collaboration among the Fire Program, the Oregon State Fire Marshal and the Oregon Department of Forestry was a major reason they chose to attend. They also praised the training’s interactive format, adult-learning approach and peer exchange.
Participants reported that the training felt more practical and more relevant to Oregon than similar national programs. A key difference was its focus not only on assessing risk, but also on how to work effectively with residents and communities.
The pilot also strengthened collaboration among the three partner institutions. Post-event survey responses from training cadre members showed that participants viewed planning and implementation collaboration positively, helping build trust, shared goals and a more unified vision for community wildfire preparedness in Oregon.
The successful pilot confirmed the value of the training as an investment in Oregon’s wildfire adaptation workforce and demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated outreach and education across agencies.
Public value
This project helps Oregon use public resources more effectively by building a shared training system for professionals who help communities prepare for wildfire.
Instead of fragmented or out-of-state models, Oregon now has a practitioner training tailored to local conditions and delivered through agency partnership. That improves coordination, strengthens the workforce and supports more consistent, community-centered wildfire risk reduction across the state.