Don’t wait ‘till fire season to prepare your residence for greater safety. Fuel reduction assistance grants are available from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Grants Pass Unit. A grant is a specific rebate per acre for fuel reduction. The focus is on a home site’s defensible space and a fuel break along the driveway.
Defensible space around a home provides firefighters with a reduced risk zone in which they may safely and effectively protect a home against damage or destruction caused by a wildfire. Reducing fuel along a driveway improves access for emergency vehicles.
Call (541) 474-3152 to schedule a free fuel-reduction inspection and to start the process.
Guidelines for getting a fuel-reduction assistance grant are as follows:
- A fuel reduction plan must be developed before the project begins.
- Both the ODF inspector and the landowner must agree to the plan.
- A completion date is established as part of the plan.
- A grant payment cannot be made for fuel-reduction projects already completed.
Also, by meeting the requirements of a fuel-reduction grant, a homeowner will satisfy the requirements of the Oregon Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act (SB 360). If the project has been completed according to the plan, both the ODF inspector and the landowner must sign a project completion form, then this documentation will be submitted for the rebate.
Completion of a fuel reduction grant project will greatly increase the chance of a home surviving a wildfire, but it is not a guarantee. Maintaining the fuel-reduction area is important. Periodic mowing of dry grasses, raking of dry leaves and needles, and removing dead vegetation will help to keep a fire from igniting in and spreading through a fuel break area.
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