Rural Fire Readiness Equipment Transfer to Oregon Communities

Dec 22, 2022 Kaitlyn Webb

This week, Prineville District transferred a water tender to the Wheeler County Fire and Rescue Rangeland Fire Protection Association and a wildland fire engine to the Alfalfa Fire District to enhance their wildland firefighting capabilities. The equipment was transferred under BLM’s Rural Fire Readiness (RFR) program. This program is designed to provide equipment to local wildland firefighting partners at no cost.

Chad LaVallee, Fire Chief with Alfalfa Fire District shakes hands with Prineville District Deputy Fire and Aviation Staff Officer Nathan Lefevre after receiving the keys for the wildland fire engine.

The water tender will be stationed in Wheeler County and rotated seasonally between Fossil and Spray, Oregon. It will be available for 14 trained firefighters to use for wildland fire response across their 500,000-acre district. The engine will be stationed in Alfalfa, Oregon, and available for 18 trained firefighters to serve their district which spans 68 square miles.

Chad and Nathan discuss interagency response in front of the transferred wildland fire engine and water tender.

Rangeland Fire Protection Associations (RFPA) are private, non-profit organizations established to help prevent and suppress fires on unprotected lands – those without federal or state jurisdiction. They represent a collaborative effort among local private landowners, the BLM, and the Oregon Department of Forestry and are essentially “neighbors helping neighbors.”

Nathan shakes hands with Richard Shaffer, Wheeler County Fire Coordinator, after signing the final paperwork to transfer the water tender to Wheeler County RFPA.

“Water sources are few and far between in some areas across our district,” said Richard Shaffer, Wheeler County Fire Coordinator. “The water tender will allow us to be even more effective in our wildland fire response.”

Nathan (far right), Richard (to the left of Nathan), and two other Wheeler County Fire and Rescue RFPA firefighters discuss fires from the past summer in front of the water tender.

Cooperative partnerships between the BLM and local and rural fire departments, including RFPAs, are crucial to remote wildfire response on private, state, and federal lands.

Richard signs the final transfer paperwork with BLM Engine Captain James Holmly before accepting keys to the water tender.

“This program is a huge asset to small departments across the state and across the country,” said Chad LaVallee, Fire Chief with Alfalfa Fire District. “Small districts like ours can be challenged by outdated or non-existent equipment which limits our wildfire response capabilities.”

The BLM will accept requests from local fire departments and RFPAs for available vehicles, equipment, and supplies. As equipment is available, the BLM will transfer excess items to local fire departments and RFPAs during the fall and winter months, prior to the next fire season.

More information on the BLM’s RFR program can be found at https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/rural-fire-readiness-program.