455 Siskiyou Boulevard
Ashland, Oregon 97520
Phone: (541) 482-2770
Fax: (541) 488-5318
Contact: Emily Matlock
Email:
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
View Ashland Fire & Rescue's 2021 Annual report here. |
In the event of an emergency up-to-date information will be provided for the public in one or more of the following ways depending on the situation at hand.
City of Ashland Social Media sites (Facebook @CityofAshlandOregon and Twitter @CityofAshland)
1700AM-Ashland's Emergency Radio Frequency
Local Television stations
Radio, 93.7 FM, KTMT
Homepage of the City's Web site, ashland.or.us
Wildfire Information Line 541.552.2490
Roving truck with bullhorn
Volunteers on foot with hand radios
Learn about our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Listen to Emergency Updates on 1700 AM by clicking play:
Please call 541-482-2770 to see if you qualify for a burn permit. You need to be located within the City's Wildfire Hazard Zone and:
Burning is only allowed between March 1st to the beginning of fire season and for two weeks after the end of fire season in the fall.
The term "Firewise" was coined in the early 1990's to identify the growing knowledge that landowners could use to reduce their wildfire risks.
A website by this name (firewise.org) is used by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for their Firewise USA® program, that "teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action now to prevent losses". The Firewise USA® program is co-sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the National Association of State Foresters.
Firewise USA is a national program created by NFPA that addresses the risks to homes and communities from wildfire in the Wildland/Urban Interface (Often referred to as WUI). It encourages local community-based solutions for wildfire safety, with the goal of reducing home ignitions due to wildfire. The Firewise USA program emphasizes homeowner responsibility and provides the framework for education dissemination, community partnerships, and local actions that support community wildfire safety efforts.
Ashland Fire & Rescue is a working partner with our community to help establish and advise recognized Firewise USA program sites within Ashland. Check out Ashlandfirewise.org for more information about our program!
As a landowner in the WHZ (Wildfire Hazard Zone), if nothing is done to change/modify the structures or the property, there is nothing that will be required of you from this ordinance. This ordinance will affect you if any of the following changes occur:
Here's a link to "Requirements for Constructing Structures in the Wildfire Hazard Zone." See section 18.3.10.100. For partitions of lots/subdivisions, owners will have to provide and implement a Fire Prevention and Control Plan detailing vegetation/fuels reduction, as appropriate. The link above has information regarding "Requirements for Subdivisions, Performance Standards Developments, or Partitions."
Unfortunately, there is no roof that is completely “fire proof”, however, with proper assembly of fire-rated materials, homeowners can lessen the potential for a fire starting, slow a fire’s spread and extend the amount of time it takes for a home to ignite. The roof is very vulnerable to fire because it is the largest exposed surface area of your home. The exposed roof can trap embers and easily ignite a home. In a fire vulnerable area, use class A or B roofing materials.
Material Classification
Class A (This is the least combustible roofing material and the highest resistance to fire).
Brick
Concrete
Tile
Slate
Clay
Asphalt
Metal Fiber-cement
Class B
Pressure-treated shakes and shingles
Some asphalt shingles
Some membrane roof coverings
Class C (This is the most combustible roofing material and is much more vulnerable to fire).
Membrane roof coverings
Wood shakes and shingles
Plywood
Particle board
There are two fire stations in Ashland. Fire Station 1 is located at 455 Siskiyou Boulevard and Fire Station 2 is located at 1860 Ashland Street.
No. Landowners who are being incorporated into the WHZ will not see a rise in taxes because of the WHZ expansion.
CERT trains residents to prepare their families and neighborhoods to mitigate, respond to and recover from disaster.
Our goal is to strengthen our community and make it more resilient neighborhood by neighborhood.
Our motto is "Neighbors Helping Neighbors."
See our CERT - Disaster Preparedness page for more details.
The typical response between Ashland's two fire stations is divided between East and West of Mountain Avenue. Fire Station 1 responds West of Mountain Ave, and Fire Station 2 responds East of Mountain Ave.
For response information regarding your particular address please call Ashland Fire & Rescue's business office at 541-482-2770.
It was recommended that the Wildfire Hazard Zone (WHZ) be expanded to include all of the City of Ashland. Doing so enhances several elements of the fire safety strategy of the city. The Wildfire Hazard Zone was expanded on October 18th, 2018.
The City will now be able to regulate roof coverings to those appropriate for a community adjacent to and containing wildland fuels. Previously, within City limits, flammable wood product roof coverings were allowed outside of the WHZ.
The City is also able to now regulate landscaping profiles for new construction that lend themselves to low intensity fire behavior with far less fire-spread potential. Previously, vegetation that produces severe fire behavior and fire spread, such as juniper, cypress, and arborvitae, were allowed unrestricted outside of the WHZ.
Both roof coverings and hazardous landscape fuels were a major factor in the destruction of 11 homes in the 2010 Oak Knoll fire. Properties within wildfire hazard zones are often the only ones that qualify for hazardous fuel mitigation grants. Expanding the WHZ would allow more properties the ability to apply for grant funds to help with fuels reduction and creating defensible space.