As wildfire season approaches, the Oregon State Fire Marshal has allocated $6 million in grants to help fire agencies hire more employees when they’ll need them most.
OSFM announced that 185 fire agencies across the state received up to $35,000 from the 2023 Wildfire Season Staffing Grant. “The OSFM staffing grant has turned what has been a long-term vision and goal for McKenzie Fire and Rescue into a reality,” Chief Darren Bucich said in a release. “Additional staffing will help us build on our ability to provide consistent alarm response, timely auto and mutual aid response, and the ability to continue to be a part of conflagrations.”
According to officials, this is the second-consecutive year that the grant has been offered to fire agencies.