As of today, there is no funding allocated for the the 2025 Wildfire Firefighter Upstaffing Grant PRESENTLY. As most of the District knows, last year was the first year that the District had Part-time Seasonal Firefighters on duty six out of seven days for almost the entire wildfire season. It lead to a more rapid response to incidents, resulting in smaller fires and reduced property loss potential.
The governor is calling, for essentially, a special session starting to discuss funding for the OSFM and the ODF. The upstaffing grant is part of the OSFM funding.
I would highly encourage the residents of the District to contact their state senators and representatives and encourage them to support funding for this great program. As the Fire Chief, I can attest to the fact that it has been a huge success for the District.
