Union County Developing Plan to Reduce Smoke Impacts to Citizens

November 16, 2022

 

Union County is developing a Community Response Plan for citizens within the Grande Ronde Valley to plan for and respond to smoke generated from prescribed burning and wildfires.

 

Some of the goals to be obtained through development of the plan include notification to Union County residents about air quality impacts as well as providing recommendations to citizens to mitigate health effects and reduce smoke exposure from all sources.  In addition, the plan will provide an increased opportunity to improve forest health, reduce the risk of extreme wildfires and improve community and firefighter safety.

 

The Community Response Plan will be designed to meet the needs of the community associated with reducing the impacts of poor air quality and smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns.  In order to effectively capture the needs of the community, a survey has been developed that will assist with the design of the plan.  The survey can be found through this link https://forms.gle/yUot4uJsDX9brYyh7 or by using a smartphone camera with the QR code below. The closing date for the survey is December 5, 2022.

The survey is confidential.  An optional drawing for participants is available upon survey completion for a 72-hour emergency survival kit valued at $200.  Information for entering the drawing is contained within the survey.

 

Union County partners involved in the creation of this plan include the City of La Grande, Center for Human Development/Union County Public Health, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Forest Service, and Union County Emergency Services.

 

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