Dry Year Drives Urgency for Disaster Readiness and Response Fund

Funding partnership helps communities prepare while Collective Giving expands wildfire response where it’s needed 

For years now, John Bailey has been tracking the convergence of factors that have made wildfire seasons start earlier, last longer and grow more destructive. 

"This is real. This is not your imagination that our wildfire seasons have gotten worse," says Bailey, Professor at Oregon State University's College of Forestry. "You don't have to be a prophet to know that that's going to continue." 

John Bailey, OSU College of Forestry

Bailey was one of several speakers at an announcement at Gresham Fire Station #75 in Troutdale, where a group of Oregon funders — Oregon Community Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation and the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation — announced they have together committed at least $1 million toward wildfire readiness and response, while also working alongside Les Schwab Tire Centers to get tires to local fire agencies. 

“With this announcement, we’re saying, ‘We're ready to help you be ready,’” OCF President and CEO Lisa Mensah said. “We don't yet know how bad it will get this wildfire season, but we do know we need to be prepared.” 

This year's dry winter and historically low snowpack mean rural communities face a difficult wildfire season, many without enough resources to respond. About 74% of firefighters in rural Oregon are volunteers, working across vast geographies with limited budgets, and basic equipment — tires, specialized gear, training — is in short supply. 

Wildfire preparedness is one of those investments where a relatively modest boost can have an outsized impact — a set of tires for the first truck out, a water tank in a remote spot, a few more hours of training — can be the difference between a fire crew that responds in time and one that can't. 

 A coalition moves before the crisis hits

The effort is part of the Oregon Disaster Funders Network, a statewide collaborative that connects funding to communities facing fire, flood and other disasters. Oregon Community Foundation plays a unique role in this coalition because we accept donations through the Disaster Readiness and Response Fund, where anyone can give as little as $25 to get funding quickly to where it's needed most. 

Mensah noted that the scale of the challenge outpaces what any one organization can solve alone — which is why philanthropy, business, fire services and community nonprofits are coordinating now, before flames start, and preparing to stay engaged through the long recovery that often follows. 

What the funding does

For Gresham Fire Department Assistant Chief Mike Traeger, the need to be ready is all too real. 

"Wildfires don't wait until we're ready," he said. "Every tire, every piece of equipment and every hour of training makes a difference when the call comes. Resources like these mean firefighters can respond faster, work more safely and stay on the fire line longer." 

Assistant Chief Mike Traeger, Gresham Fire Dept. and Bill Tester, Les Schwab Sandy store manager

That's the gap this funding is built to close: equipping rural fire districts with essential safety gear, addressing urgent needs like tire replacement and vehicle readiness, and strengthening local response capacity before emergencies escalate — support for communities that are too often underfunded and overlooked when it matters most. 

You don't have to wait for a disaster 

This is where donors come in — and where the timeline matters. Collective giving to OCF's Disaster Readiness and Response Fund builds on that initial commitment, extending support for wildfire readiness before disaster strikes, emergency response while it's underway and recovery once the smoke clears. 

Collective giving works exactly as the name suggests: donors’ individual contributions pool into a larger force for good. Rather than each donor researching and vetting individual nonprofits or local fire agencies as a wildfire unfolds, resources can quickly get deployed where they can do the most good — drawing on deep community knowledge and years of statewide relationship building. 

Support doesn't require a major gift or a disaster on the news to prompt it. Online contributions start at $25, with other giving opportunities through Donor Advised Funds, stocks, QCDs and more, all of which combine to help nonprofits and agencies prepare for disasters year-round. It's proactive giving rather than reactive recovery: a way to stand with communities before the emergency, not just after.