Warner Valley RFPA

Lake County
Request: $30,000

The Warner Valley Rural Fire Protection Association (Warner Valley RFPA) serves the southeastern portion of Lake County, Oregon, including the communities of Adel and Plush. The organization provides wildland fire protection across approximately 1.3 million acres of public and private lands. Please see the attached service area map for the RFPA's coverage area.

The Warner Valley Rural Fire Protection Association is requesting funding to purchase a Caterpillar D5 or D6 high-drive, enclosed-cab bulldozer to increase safety and strengthen wildfire response across more than 1.3 million acres surrounding the communities of Adel and Plush in southeastern Oregon. Established in 2011, the Warner Valley RFPA is staffed entirely by volunteers and provides critical initial attack wildfire response to protect homes, ranches, infrastructure, wildlife habitat, and natural resources. During severe fire seasons, the RFPA also serves as an important local resource when state, federal, and contract firefighting equipment is unavailable or committed elsewhere.

The organization's existing bulldozers were acquired through the federal excess equipment program and no longer meet its operational needs. These large, open-cab machines require transport on a semi-truck and lowboy trailer, which limits rapid deployment and requires specialized operators that the current volunteer force does not have. The proposed smaller dozer can be safely transported using an existing donated trailer behind the RFPA's water tender, allowing volunteers to respond more quickly while providing significantly greater operator protection through an enclosed cab and a six-way blade designed for constructing fireline in rugged terrain.

This project is a direct investment in volunteer firefighter safety, faster wildfire response, and long-term community resilience. By purchasing equipment that matches both the landscape and the capabilities of its volunteer firefighters, the Warner Valley RFPA will improve its ability to contain wildfires during initial attack while protecting lives, property, agricultural operations, and critical natural resources throughout southeastern Lake County. Please see the attached project narrative for additional details regarding the project, anticipated benefits, budget, and expected outcomes.

The Warner Valley Rural Fire Protection Association has worked closely with several partners to advance this project. The RFPA has been in communication with the Roundhouse Foundation regarding the proposed dozer purchase, and the Foundation has expressed strong support for the project. The RFPA anticipates submitting a funding request to the Roundhouse Foundation as part of its overall fundraising strategy.

In addition, the RFPA has secured funding through the Oregon Department of Forestry's Oregon State House Bill funding program and has worked with its volunteer membership and local ranching community to commit local funds toward the purchase. These collaborative efforts demonstrate broad community support and a shared commitment to improving firefighter safety and wildfire response capacity.