Public invited to Community Wildfire Protection meeting

SWEET HOME — The public is invited to learn more about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan at a meeting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at the Sweet Home Fire Station 21, 1099 Long St.

Linn County Assistant Planner Kate Bentz said numerous groups including Linn County, local fire departments and districts, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University and Department of Land Conservation and Development and more, have been updating the 2007 wildfire plan and now want to hear from all members of the public.

The project’s goal is to reduce wildland fire risk to Linn County communities and rural areas and protect the natural environment.

Bentz said the “Linn County Wildfire Ready Night” event  has three key components:

• Educate the public about what the Community Wildfire Protection Program is.
• Provide the public with information about how they protect their properties from wildfire.
• Receive feedback from the public about their priorities and concerns about wildfires.

“This is a multi-jurisdictional effort,” Bentz said. “This is happening all over Oregon. The push is on so that every county in the state has a plan to assess risks and to identify projects and areas for those projects.”

Bentz said pizza will be provided.

To learn more about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, visit https://www.linncountyor.gov/planningbuilding/page/community-wildfire-protection-plan or call Bentz or County Planning Manager Alyssa Boles at 541-967-3816.