National Wildfire Preparedness Day is Saturday, May 1, and the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation has four ways to help you get ready for the 2021 wildfire season.
1 Join Oregon Insurance Commissioner Andrew Stolfi and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum for a virtual wildfire town hall on Thursday, April 29, at noon.
2 Complete the division’s three tasks to save time, money, and stress when disaster strikes:
Task 1: Build a home inventory
Task 2: Build a financial backpack
Task 3: Review your insurance coverage
Visit dfr.oregon.gov/preparenow for tips and resources to complete each task.
3 Do some yard work with a purpose by creating defensible space around your home.
Remove dry leaves, dead brush, debris, and pine needles from the yard and gutters. Next, trim trees away from homes, barns, and sheds, and place screens over open vents on homes. These tasks reduce the fuels that enable wildfires to spread and give firefighters time to slow the blaze.
Visit the National Fire Protection Association’s free toolkit and resources page for more information on creating defensible space around your home.
4 Join a community or neighborhood cleanup project on Saturday, May 1.
Several community groups will be hosting cleanup projects in Oregon and across the country during National Wildfire Preparedness Day this Saturday.
Look for local events on social media and in newsletters and newspapers for opportunities to work with your neighbors to reduce wildfire risk in your community.
The division’s wildfire insurance and disaster preparedness pages have resources to help people prepare for and recover from disasters. The division is also prepared to help people in any language they choose. Visit dfr.oregon.gov/help for more information.