Wildfire Public Opinion Survey Report 2010-2011
Background and Purpose of the Survey
Southwest Oregon and the western United States have been hard hit by wildfires over the past decade, and these fires have affected public and private property alike. The rapid increase in the number of people living in the wildland urban interface (WUI) has led to the increasing costs of fire fighting efforts in these areas2. To lessen the cost of these oftentimes reactive firefighting efforts in wildland areas, a more pro‐active approach is being sought through public outreach and education of property owners in the WUI to reduce the intensity of wildfires.
The Rogue Valley Fire Prevention Cooperative (RVFPC, a local non‐profit organization comprised of representatives from fire and land management agencies and groups) has been engaged in educational and outreach activities for more than a decade, to help local residents prepare for and protect their homes from wildfire. However, given the current budgetary problems at all levels of government (including funding for wildfire prevention activities), the RVFPC will face even more difficult challenges in the future as they address wildfire risk in our region.
To help deal with these challenges, the RVFPC contracted with the Southern Oregon University Research Center (SOURCE) to administer and analyze a survey measuring the regional public’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior with respect to wildfire prevention and preparedness. Information from the survey helps focus and plan future education and prevention activities. This report gives details of the sampling frame, content, and results of the survey. This year the RVFPC targeted four “communities” in Jackson County (the Greensprings, the Ashland Wildfire Hazard Zone, the Seven Basins area, and the Applegate watershed), as well as the west side of the Applegate in Josephine County. Both the Jackson County and Josephine County areas of the Applegate are referred to as “Applegate” in this report. The RVFPC hopes to survey other communities in the near future to get an even broader picture of the issues as they apply to the varied communities in the two‐county region.
1 This introductory section drew on several articles appearing in the Firebrand newsletter, authored by Sandy Shaffer, Survey Project Manager for the Rogue Valley Fire Prevention Cooperative. We at SOURCE have worked closely with Ms. Shaffer on all phases of this project. Any errors remaining are the responsibility of SOURCE.
2 Schwab, James, and Stuart Meck. Planning for Wildfires. Chicago: American Planning Association, 2005.
*This background information was taken directly from the Wildfire Public Opinion Survey Final Report, written by SOURCE. Eva Skuratowicz, Ph.D., Director, Karen Miller-Loessi, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, and Rikki Pritzlaff, Senior Research Assistant.