Cropland owners in Oregon would be eligible to join rangeland fire protection associations under a bill that seeks to improve their access to equipment and training.

Areas that produce dryland wheat are prone to wildfire — as evidenced by the devastating Substation Fire in 2018, which burned 78,000 acres in Wasco and Sherman counties —but currently cannot be included in RFPAs.

“During harvest time, ripe grain crops are a tinder box. A lightning strike, a spark of any kind, or chaff falling on a hot engine can cause a crop fire,” said Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, during a recent legislative hearing.

Hansell has introduced legislation that would allow RFPAs to be organized on “land used for cultivating crops” in addition to rangeland and undeveloped areas. Supporters say Senate Bill 590 will enhance firefighting resources in rural communities.

“Wildfire does not adhere to boundaries, it does not stop at fence lines or changes in landownership, or rangeland or cropland,” said Amanda Hoey, CEO of the Oregon Wheat Growers League.

By forming or joining an RFPA, farmers could better coordinate with state agencies on firefighting and acquire surplus firefighting equipment from the federal government, Hoey said.

“Though it may be surplus and at the end of its useful life in the eyes of particular agencies, small groups like RFPAs can still get a lot of use out of some of this equipment,” said Michael Kelly, a farmer and volunteer firefighter in Wasco County.

Perhaps more importantly, forming an RFPA would allow cropland owners to establish a closer relationship with the Oregon Department of Forestry and other professional firefighting organizations, he said.

Currently, farmers who volunteer to fight fires are often seen as a liability, he said. “That makes communication and teamwork all but impossible during an actual fire.”

Farmers in RFPAs would receive training from the ODF, which would given them “legitimacy” among professional organizations, according to Kelly.

Aside from training, the agency can help RFPAs apply for grants, make legal filings and pay for liability insurance.

Kelly said farmers in his area have organized into a fire district, but the structure isn’t a good fit because they lack employees, tax revenue support or professional equipment. Volunteer farmers fight fires with water tanks attached to pickup trucks and with tillage implements on their tractors.

“We are an RFPA, we just don’t reap any of the benefits,” he said.

Roger Beyer, a lobbyist for the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, said the financial impacts on the state’s Department of Forestry must be considered as part of the discussion about SB 590.

While the bill’s benefits outweigh any of these concerns, the legislation should provide added funding to ODF, Beyer said.

Without adequate funding, the heavier workload could detract from the agency’s existing firefighting duties, he said.

The ODF has three full-time employees who support 23 RFPAs that cover about 15 million acres. In the past, the agency estimated that expanding RFPAs to include cropland would require an additional three employees at a cost of more than $700,000 per biennium.

The Oregon Farm Bureau, which supports SB 590, is discussing the financial repercussions of the proposal with ODF and other stakeholders, said Samantha Bayer, the group’s policy counsel.

The legislation is important due to the agriculture industry’s frequent exposure to wildfires, she said. “In unprotected areas, farmers are the first responders and sometimes the only responders to wildfire in their remote communities.”