It appears that fire season is already starting in Sisters Country. If forecasts hold, it’s gonna be a rough year.
But there are many ways that we can ALL take action to make our families, homes, neighborhoods, and community more prepared for wildfire.
Photo credit: Conlan Archer / Jack Turpen
The following 12 actions were identified through our 2025 Community Forums focused on Wildfire in Sisters Country. They remain very relevant today.
Remember – we are only as strong as our weakest link. Let’s work together to make Sisters Country more resilient to the growing threat of wildfire.
Looking to go even deeper? Visit citizens4community.com/fire for local preparedness resources, toolkits, organizations, and more.
Here are 12 ways you can take action to prepare for fire season in Sisters Country:
If you only remember one website, make it deschutes.org/emergency. It’s a one-stop shop for incident monitoring, preparedness resources, evacuation guidance, and more.
Sign up for Deschutes County Alerts. Receive emergency notifications and recommended actions via phone, text, email, and more for locations you care about. Available in Deschutes County, Crooked River Ranch, and Camp Sherman.
Know what the evacuation levels mean, and whenever possible, GO EARLY. Assume that Sisters Country is always on Level 1 (“Be Ready”) during the summer and early fall.
Download the Watch Duty app to stay up-to-speed on local fires, wind directions, air quality, evacuation orders, and more.
Get to know your neighbors. Knowing your fellow community members has been shown to significantly improve emergency preparedness, resilience, response, and recovery (not to mention community well-being).
Create a customized emergency plan for your family and home. This includes emergency contacts, evacuation plans, designated meeting places, a communications plan, family roles and responsibilities, and special accommodations for kids, pets, etc. Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District also provides a “Wildfire Prepared” checklist.
Assemble a “go bag” with essential supplies, gear, documents, and keepsakes that you can easily grab in the event of an evacuation.
Request a FREE wildfire home assessment from Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. Volunteers will visit your home and suggest ways you can make your property more wildfire resilient.
Ensure you have sufficient defensible space around your home, and consider pursuing IBHS “Wildfire Prepared” certification.
Encourage your HOA to a) align their CC&Rs with defensible space best practices, and/or b) pursue Firewise neighborhood certification.
Talk to your insurance agent. Make sure you understand your coverage levels, discuss potential gaps, and make changes as needed to ensure appropriate coverage types and limits. If your rates have increased, ask if there are actions you can take to make it less expensive. If you’re not being renewed, ask for specific reasons why. Need help finding insurance? Here’s a list of companies currently providing coverage in Oregon. Feeling overwhelmed or confused? Get guidance from the Oregon Department of Financial Regulation, or reach out to one of their consumer advocates at 888-877-4894.
Build a home inventory and financial first aid kit. Creating a visual and/or written record of your possessions can help assess if you have enough coverage before an incident, and help speed up and maximize claim payments after one. Be sure to gather and securely store copies of financial and identifying records, and set aside cash for emergencies. Visit ODFR’s website for helpful tips, apps, checklists, and forms.