The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is announcing a series of town hall meetings to talk about the 2022 Oregon Defensible Space Code, its development, timelines, and upcoming opportunities for community input. The OSFM has been working through an open and transparent process with the Oregon Defensible Space Code Development committee; a diverse group of stakeholders, to develop the new code based on the framework established through SB 762. To continue that open and transparent process, the OSFM will host a series of 17 community townhalls across Oregon beginning the week of August 1. The first of the series will be held in Southern Oregon. The meetings will be hosted in Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass, and Roseburg. Dates and times for each community meeting are as follows: August 2 at 11:30 am – 1 pm, Ashland, Ashland High School, 201 S Mountain Ave; August 2 at 5:30 – 7 pm, Medford, Hedrick Middle School, 1501 E Jackson St; August 3 at 5:30 – 7 pm, Grants Pass, Performing Arts Center (PAC), 830 NE 9th St; August 4 at 5:30 – 7 pm, Roseburg, Roseburg Public Safety Building, Umpqua Room, 700 SE Douglas Ave. For a full schedule, please visit Oregon Defensible Space Code webpage. In June, the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University released the Oregon Wildfire Risk Map. Oregon Senate Bill 762 directs the OSFM to establish minimum defensible space code standards and where those may apply, which are areas identified in both the high or extreme risk and in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). The OSFM has set up a special section on its website dedicated to the defensible space code development process. Those wishing to learn more can do so here defensible space code requirements.
