The Oregon Legislature has passed a bill to protect farmers and ranchers from liability while fighting dangerous wildfires, such as the 2018 Substation fire in Wasco and Sherman counties.
Senate Bill 290 is similar to other Good Samaritan laws that encourage bystanders to assist people in emergencies without worrying about being sued if something goes wrong.
Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, sponsored SB 290, which passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Gov. Kate Brown signed the bill during a ceremony on June 18 with members of the Oregon Wheat Growers League.
Hansell said the bill was inspired by the deadly Substation fire that torched 78,425 acres of dry wheat fields and grasslands last year in north-central Oregon.
Wheat farmers were among the first to arrive on scene, using tractors and disc plows to dig wide firebreaks around homes and communities.