In Central Oregon, wildfire ignitions have increased as more people recreate in local forests, build campfires, burn debris, and use equipment to manage their properties. Combined with a century of fire suppression and a changing climate, the result is dangerously dry and dense vegetation that heightens the risk of extreme wildfires.
Many residents and visitors are unaware of this wildfire history or the risk it poses. Building fire-adapted communities — those that prevent human-caused wildfires, support land management, reduce smoke and fire impacts on people, and promote defensible space — is essential to public safety and landscape resilience.
To support this goal, Ariel Cowan, regional fire specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, partnered with the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Co-Op to launch a locally tailored wildfire awareness media campaign. With funding from the Oregon State Fire Marshal, the campaign featured public service announcements designed to increase fire preparedness and community resilience.
OSU Extension and the Oregon State Fire Marshal co-led the project’s development, including organization, script writing, reviewing, filming and sourcing past footage. The result was a series of six short educational videos produced in both English and Spanish. Topics included:
- Safe debris burning
- Outdoor recreation
- Reducing wildfire risks to your home
- Landscape treatments
- Managing smoke and public health
- Evacuation best practices
The videos are now permanently posted on the news stations' YouTube accounts and Project Wildfire's website and YouTube account.
- Resident Mitigation (English) (Spanish)
- Evacuation (English) (Spanish)
- Landscape Treatment (English) (Spanish)
- Safe Burning (English) (Spanish)
- Outdoor Recreation (English) (Spanish)
- Public Health/Smoke Health (English) (Spanish)
The videos feature recognizable wildfire prevention figures such as Smokey Bear, Buster the Fire Dog and Bigfoot. Viewers were directed to Central Oregon Fire Info, a regional website that offers timely information about prescribed burns, wildfire updates, evacuation notices and fire preparedness resources.
The campaign’s reach and visibility were substantial:
- On local radio, ads reached an estimated 83,969 listeners, each hearing the message an average of 2.9 times
- On television, ads aired over 1 million times, reaching more than 90,000 viewers over a seven-month period
Community feedback reflected a growing interest in wildfire preparedness and a desire to learn more. Residents reported being more aware of the actions they could take — and shared the messages with others in their households and neighborhoods.
The campaign also helped raise awareness of virtual and in-person spring workshops on wildfire home protection strategies. These workshops are co-hosted by OSU Extension, the Oregon State Fire Marshal, the Oregon Department of Forestry and local fire departments.
Additional partners in the campaign included Oregon Living With Fire, Bend Fire & Rescue, Deschutes National Forest (U.S. Forest Service), Deschutes County Public Health, and Discover Your Forest.
Together, this collaborative campaign strengthened regional fire prevention efforts — helping more Central Oregonians understand their role in creating safer, more resilient landscapes.
