Salem, Oregon – Governor Tina Kotek met with the heads of agencies earlier this week at the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Fire Cache to discuss preparations and encourage every citizen to participate as Oregon prepares for another potentially catastrophic wildfire season. Kotek underlined the importance of monitoring and community involvement as May formally declared Wildfire Awareness Month as the state enters what experts forecast will be hotter, drier conditions than normal for the West.
Kotek opened the briefing by signing the formal proclamation declaring May 2025 as Wildfire Awareness Month.
“What we know to be an ‘average fire season’ has long passed,” she warned. Referring to the exhaustive summer fights of 2024, she praised the courage shown by firefighters and volunteers and reminded Oregonians that preparation cannot wait.
“So here’s my challenge to all Oregonians: support first responders and frontline workers by doing your part. Know the fire danger level where you are, get your home’s defensible space prepared and please follow all local fire restrictions,” Kotek urged. Her challenge: protect lives, land, and property so that everyone can still enjoy Oregon’s great outdoors.
Joining the governor were Kyle Williams, Deputy Director of Fire Operations at ODF; State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple; Erin McMahon of the Oregon Department of Emergency Management; Major General Alan Gronewold of the National Guard; Nolan Moser from the Public Utility Commission; DEQ representatives; and Ed Flick from the Department of Human Services Office of Resilience and Emergency Management. They collectively outlined the tactical and logistical architecture meant to address this year’s threat.
Meteorologists and fire experts believe early season heat and dryness are rising even if it is too early to predict just how severe the peak will be. Oregon fought roughly 2,000 fires last year burning close to two million acres. That record-breaking toll highlighted the state’s approach of early discovery and aggressive initial attack.
Equipped with a Multi-Mission Aircraft fleet and a large fire-detection camera network, ODF’s system spans sixteen million acres. These instruments in 2024 enabled firefighters to control 93 percent of wildfires remaining under 10 acres. More than 700 permanent and seasonal employees of the agency maintain more than 300 engines and heavy equipment ready, so augmenting resources with contractual aviation support and help from the Oregon Military Department.
Through alliances with more than 300 local authorities using the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System, the Oregon State Fire Marshal emphasizes structure and community safety in the interim. OSFM deployed 76 new structural protection engines and up-staffing funds to add 1,000 extra firefighters statewide in reaction to 17 urban conflagrations last year.
Apart from firefighting, Kotek underlined continuous resilience initiatives. Under community wildfire risk reduction grants, about 4,500 defensible-space evaluations have been finished, providing homeowners obvious, practical direction. She closed the briefing with practical advice for every Oregon household: prune trees to prevent crown fires, clear debris from roofs and gutters, keep combustibles away from structures, and assemble an emergency kit for two weeks.
At last, she advised everyone to be aware of evacuation paths, register for local alerts, and check air quality via DEQ’s AirNow system so that Oregonians would be prepared when fires endanger them.
