Wildfire Programs Advisory Council

Oregon faces ever-increasing risks and impacts from wildfire. In response to this growing challenge, the Governor's Council on Wildfire Response formed in 2019 and produced this report Governor's Council on Wildfire Response identifying 37 recommendations to advance wildfire protection in Oregon. This effort preceded the catastrophic 2020 wildfire season in Oregon, which saw over 1.2 million acres and 5,000 structures burned, and nine lives lost. Responding to the 2020 wildfire season and the Governor's Council report, the 2021 Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 762 (SB 762). This comprehensive legislation provided an unprecedented $195 million across 11 state agencies to establish Oregon's Wildfire Programs lead by a newly created Wildfire Programs Director position within the Governor's Office and guided by the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council (WPAC).

Since 2021, Oregon's legislature has evolved the Wildfire Programs creating a continuous improvement culture: A few legislative advancement highlihgts include:

2023 Legislative Session: Senate Bill 80 re-aligned the state's hazard map development process, created a prescribed fire liability pilot program accompanied by a prescribed fire claims fund established in House Bill 2984, established the Landscape Resiliency Fund and the Community Risk Reduction Fund, and made clarifications related to cleaner air spaces. Senate Bill 590 expanded Rangeland Fire Protection Associations. Senate Bill 82 required insurers to provide customer disclosures about how wildfire risk reduction efforts, such as establishing defensible space, hardening homes, and participating in wildfire community preparedness programs, may influence their insurance rating and the availability of insurance.

2024 Legislative Session: House Bill 4016 extended the home hardening grant program for wildfire survivors. Senate Bill 5701 established a wildfire funding workgroup to identify solutions for sustainable wildfire mitigation and suppression funding.

2025 Legislative Session: The wildfire funding workgroup filed their report Fire 35 Report which ultimately informed the passage of House Bill 3940 to address wildfire funding. Coupled with one-time funding in House Bill 5006 (HB 5006) and funding provided within agency budget bills, the legislature allocated a total of $271 million for the biennium to advance wildfire programs. Senate Bill 83 repealed the state wildfire hazard map and the associated state level regulatory requirements for defensible space and home hardening replacing this with statewide codes for consideration for local adoption, it made several administrative changes and SB 85 initiated an effort to study the benefits of community wildfire mitigation efforts with the intent to ultimately influencing more favorable rating and underwriting for Oregonians who take efforts to reduce wildfire risk to their homes.

The Council is charged with monitoring progress of wildfire programs, advising and assisting the Director, and preparing an annual October report to the Governor and appropriate committees or interim committees of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. This site is dedicated to the Council's work.

2026 Scheduled Meetings:

January 16, 2026
April 17, 2026
July 17, 2026
October 16, 2026

Council Members

Wildfire Programs Advisory Council Appointees by Position-2025

Chairperson, Samantha Bayer
Member who represents farmers whose land is wholly or partially within the wildland-urban interface

Vice Chairperson, Nick Browne
Member who represents fire chiefs with wildland-urban interface firefighting experience

Dave Hunnicutt
Member who represents rural residential property owners whose property is wholly or partially within the wildland-urban interface

Mary Kyle McCurdy
Member who represents state or regional land use planning organizations

Branden Pursinger
Member representing County Government

Ty Darby
Member who represents fire marshals with wildland-urban interface firefighting experience

Joshua Shaklee
Member who is a land use planning director for a wildland-urban interface county

Vacant
Member representing City Government

Vacant
Member who is a land use planning director for a wildland-urban interface city

Pat Skrip
Member who represents firefighters with wildland-urban interface firefighting experience

John O’Keeffe
Member who represents ranchers whose land is wholly or partially within the wildland-urban interface

Chad Washington
Member who represents forestland owners whose property is wholly or partially within the wildland-urban interface

Gary Jackson
Member who represents federally recognized Indian tribes with land wholly or partially within the wildland-urban interface

Bill Messner
Member who represents a utility company

Susan Jane Brown
Member who represents environmental interests

Terry Fairbanks
Member who represents forest resiliency interests

Garrett West
Member who represents land and housing development interests or real estate industry interests

Sarah Worthington
Member who represents public health professionals

Ilene Vargas
Member who represents the environmental justice community

Vacant
One member who represents the structural fire service and who has experience with managing, fighting, or preventing wildfire within the wildland-urban interface

Vacant
One member who represents the insurance industry

Staff Support

Doug Grafe, Wildfire Programs Director
- (503) 689 2040
- doug.c.grafe@oregon.gov
Tabitha Neely, Executive Support to Doug Grafe, Wildfire Programs Director