Oakridge Smoke Safety Plan

The City of Oakridge, in coordination with the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA), has developed the following Smoke Safety Plan (SSP) for the Oakridge Smoke Sensitive Receptor Area (hereafter referred to as the Oakridge SSRA SSP) consistent with OAR 629-048-0180.

Goal 1: Smoke Intrusion Exemption
The primary goal of this project is for the Smoke Safety Plan to assist with an eventual request to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for an exemption from the 1-hour smoke intrusion threshold in accordance with the 2019 Oregon prescribed fire Smoke Management Plan (SMP). The SSP will enhance coordination, communication, and notification of residents and visitors of Oakridge and Westfir about planned prescribed fire, wildfire and winter time smoke events, potential smoke and air quality impacts, and recommendations to reduce exposure and mitigate the health impacts of smoke from all sources. Moreover, an exemption from the smoke intrusion threshold will increase opportunities to accomplish critical prescribed fire treatments in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) to improve forest health, reduce the risk of extreme wildfires, and increase community and firefighter safety when wildfires do occur.

Goal 2: A Plan for the Community
The secondary goal of this project is to convene a local group of stakeholders collectively known as the Oakridge Air partners to craft a shared strategy to provide year round smoke messaging and mitigations to protect smoke-vulnerable populations in the Oakridge-Westfir area. This plan combines multiple agency and partner efforts in one place for the community.

The outcome and deliverables of this project include a shared community outreach platform, key messages, and coordination for how to disseminate information regarding fire, smoke, and public health impacts. Central to the strategy is the new Oakridge Air brand and website www.oakridgeair.org, which serves as the leading voice and a "one-stop-shop" for all information on prescribed fire, wildfire, and wintertime smoke and related public health impacts.