Josephine County Wildfire Public Opinion Survey Report 2010-2011
Background and Purpose of the Survey
Josephine County has experienced numerous Wildland-Urban Interface fires over the past decade. Of these, three have been FEMA-declared disasters. Wildfire is identified as the number one hazard according to the Josephine County Hazard Vulnerability Assessment of 2008.
In 2002, the Biscuit Fire burned over 470,000 acres in Josephine and Curry Counties, and garnered national media attention as one of the largest fires of the season. 3,400 homes were threatened, creating the potential to relocate thousands of citizens along with their pets and livestock. Thankfully only a few homes were lost, however the event served to raise awareness among agencies, community organizations and citizens of the extreme risk they face from wildfire.
Since 2002, great strides have been made to inform citizens of the risks they face, to mitigate those risks on both public and private land. Through the development and implementation of Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan (JCIFP), the Outreach & Education Committee was formed. This committee has broad representation from wildland fire agencies, local government, non-profit groups and other interested parties. This committee has been instrumental in raising citizen awareness of wildfire risk and educating citizens about the steps they can take to lower their risk. The Fuels/Risk Committee, also a sub-committee of the JCIFP, leveraged millions of dollars in grant funding from a variety of sources to treat thousands of acres both public and private land in the Wildland-Urban Interface. Working together with the Rogue Valley Fire Prevention Cooperative, these committees were able to offer both educational opportunities and funding for fuels reduction work for homeowners throughout Josephine County.
After nearly a decade of outreach and education activities by a variety of groups, this survey was conducted to gauge the public’s knowledge, attitudes and behavior about wildfire prevention and preparedness. Survey findings help focus and plan future activities for the Outreach & Education Committee and the Rogue Valley Fire Prevention Cooperative.
1.This document draws heavily on the Wildfire Public Opinion Survey Final Report of June 2011 prepared by Southern Oregon University. Throughout this document, sentences and sections of that report have been copied or adapted as appropriate.
*This background information was taken directly from the Josephine County Wildland Public Opinion Survey Report, June 2011.