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MATTER OF FACT. WE KNOW WILDFIRE SEASON IS GETTING WORSE, BUT HOW MUCH WORSE? WELL, IT’S LONGER STARTING EARLIER IN THE SPRING AND EXTENDING LATER INTO THE FALL. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE, WHICH NOW HAS FEWER RESOURCES AS A RESULT OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CUTS AND FIRES ARE BECOMING MORE DESTRUCTIVE. THERE WAS A 246% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF HOMES AND STRUCTURES DESTROYED IN WESTERN WILDFIRES BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020, COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS DECADE. ALL THIS SIGNALS THAT FIRE IS INCREASINGLY A FACT OF LIFE. I ACTUALLY STARTED AS A SEASONAL FIREFIGHTER THE DAY AFTER I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. THAT’S MELISSA STEEL OF BEND, OREGON. IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, HER JOB FIGHTING FIRES HAS SHIFTED. I WAS TASKED WITH TAKING ON THAT LITTLE EXTRA AND AND I GUESS YOU COULD SAY EDUCATIONAL PROJECT. SHE’S EDUCATING RESIDENTS ON HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND THEIR HOMES FROM WILDFIRE. OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN TAKES US ALONG AS STEEL GOES DOOR TO DOOR. THE RECOMMENDATION HERE WOULD BE TO CUT THOSE LIMBS BACK AT LEAST TEN FEET. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THAT FLAMMABLE VEGETATION IS CUT BACK. FIRE INVESTIGATOR MELISSA STEEL IS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FIRE RISKS. EVERYWHERE SHE GOES. THIS SEEMS NORMAL TO EVERYONE AND SEEMS VERY NATURAL WHEN IN REALITY IT’S OVERGROWN. AFTER LAST YEAR’S WILDFIRE SEASON, THE WORST IN OREGON’S HISTORY, STEEL IS SEEING A SURGE IN REQUESTS FOR FREE WILDFIRE RISK. HOME INSPECTIONS. LAST YEAR, IN 2024, I COMPLETED ABOUT 115 ALL YEAR, AND WE’RE SITTING RIGHT NOW AT ABOUT 400 AND SOMETHING REQUESTS. SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS 30FT AWAY FROM A STRUCTURE. YOU’RE PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT FOR STEEL. THE WORK IS PERSONAL. LOSING HER OWN HOME TO A WILDFIRE SEVEN YEARS AGO. BUT SHE NOTES BIGGER CHANGES ARE STILL NEEDED TO HOW WE BUILD. IN MY OPINION, UNTIL WE STOP BUILDING HOMES 10 TO 15FT APART AND WE STOP CONNECTING THEM WITH WOODEN FENCES STRAIGHT ACROSS, AND THERE NEEDS TO BE STRONGER BUILDING AND FIRE CODES AS FAR AS WILDFIRE IS CONCERNED. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE THIS HAPPEN. YOU CAN SEE THE NATIONAL FOREST, A LOT OF THEM ALONG THE SPINE OF OUR CASCADES. THAT’S WHERE WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF CONCERN WHEN FIRES ESTABLISH THEMSELVES. MARIANA RUIZ TEMPLE IS OREGON’S FIRE MARSHAL. SHE SAYS THE WILDFIRE THREAT HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY OVER HER MORE THAN THREE DECADE CAREER. WE MIGHT USED TO THINK ABOUT A WILDFIRE BEING, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE IN THE FOREST OR SOMEWHERE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE OF OREGON, BUT WE’RE STARTING TO SEE THEM IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE STATE THAT AREN’T NECESSARILY OTHER PLACES THAT WE’VE SEEN. WILDFIRE. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS WORSENING WILDFIRE THREAT? MORE PEOPLE ARE MOVING INTO OUR WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE, SO WE’RE BUILDING COMMUNITIES IN AND AROUND THOSE AREAS THAT MAYBE THEY WEREN’T BEFORE. THE CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND ARE CHANGING. FIRES WE’RE SEEING IN OUR RANGELANDS. THOSE FIRES MOVE QUICKLY. RUIZ SAYS STAFFING SHORTAGES AND UNCERTAINTY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL MEAN THAT THE STATE NEEDS A DURABLE, SUSTAINED FUNDING SOLUTION. A BILL CURRENTLY BEFORE THE STATE LEGISLATURE WOULD DO JUST THAT. LAST YEAR’S RECORD FIRES COST THE STATE $350 MILLION. WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FIREFIGHTERS IN ANY WESTERN STATE TO REALLY DEAL WITH THE TYPES OF FIRES WE’RE SEEING ON THE GROUND. WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT HOW FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STAFFS THEIR FIRES, IT’S MAINLY A SEASONAL WORKFORCE FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS. AND WHAT WE’RE SEEING IS FIRES YEAR ROUND. AND MANY TIMES BECAUSE OF THE TYPES OF FIRES WE’RE SEEING AROUND THE AREA, THIS AREA CAN BE HEAVILY IMPACTED BY WILDFIRE SMOKE. IT CONTROLS YOUR DAILY LIFE NOW. IT’S KIND OF LIKE, I THINK, GOING OUT AND SMOKING A PACK OF CIGARETTES A DAY OR MORE FOR 65 YEAR OLD RANCHER WES RAU, WHO HAS SEVERE ASTHMA. THE WORSENING SMOKE IS TAKING A TOLL ON HIS DAILY TASKS. IT TAKES ME MAYBE TWICE AS LONG TO GO DO THE IRRIGATION BECAUSE I HAVE TO GO SLOWER. AND WHEN THE ASTHMA REALLY KICKS IN AND THE LUNGS ARE NOT DOING WELL, YOU JUST YOU HAVE TO STOP. MY PATIENTS WHO ARE WHO HAVE MOSTLY HAVE CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE. THEY LIVE THEIR WORST DAYS DURING THE WILDFIRE SMOKE. DOCTOR IAN SMITH IS A PULMONOLOGIST AT SAINT CHARLES HEALTH SYSTEM. RAU IS ONE OF HIS PATIENTS. WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM HEALTH IMPACTS THAT YOUR PATIENTS ARE EXPERIENCING AFTER THEY’VE LIVED THROUGH A SUMMER WILDFIRE SMOKE? SOMETIMES PEOPLE WHO HAVE FLARES OF LUNG DISEASE WIND UP WORSE CHRONICALLY. STOPPING THE SPREAD OF SMOKE INVOLVES CAREFUL CROSS BOUNDARY WORK IN FORESTED AREAS TO MANAGE VEGETATION. AND AS WE REDUCE THE FUELS, WE’RE MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF SMOKE INTO THE CITY. NATHAN BECKMAN IS THE RESILIENCY STRATEGY COORDINATOR WITH THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY, FOCUSED ON THE STATE’S 20 YEAR PLAN TO REDUCE WILDFIRE RISK. WE HAVE TO GO AHEAD AND REMOVE THAT EXCESS VEGETATION THAT’S OFTEN DONE WITH PRESCRIBED FIRE. AND THE IDEA HERE IS THAT YOU WANT OPEN SPACE SO THAT IF THE FIRE IS COMING FROM UP THERE, IT’S NOT GETTING TO COMMUNITIES DOWN HERE. THAT’S CORRECT. YEAH. PROTECTING COMMUNITIES FROM SMOKE AND WILDFIRE HAS BECOME AN ALL HANDS ON DECK EFFORT. BUT ONE, STEELE SAYS IS CRUCIAL. SEEING A WHOLE TOWN TRY TO REBUILD. YOU SEE THE CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT IT BRINGS. IT DOES CHOKE ME UP. I’M REALLY EXCITED THAT I CAN TAKE MY KNOWLEDGE AND BRING THAT HERE. GETTING THEM PREPARED AND READY DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT AFFECTS YOU UNTIL IT DOES. FOR MATTER O