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Safe Media Access to Disaster Sites Committee (HB4087)

Summary

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, House Bill 4087 allows news media representatives to access wildfire or other natural disaster scenes on Oregon public lands that are otherwise closed to the public during these incidents. The bill does not apply to private property, federal land, tribal land or property owned by educational institutions such as school districts, charter schools, colleges and universities.

The bill directs Oregon Emergency Management to convene a collaborative committee of news media and public safety agency stakeholders to develop guidelines for safety training and media access protocols.

Objectives

  • Develop guidelines to safely ensure equitable media access to wildfires and other natural disaster incidents in Oregon.
  • Educate public safety and media personnel on roles and expectations for access during wildfires and other natural disasters to assure mutual understanding.
  • Ensure stakeholder and subject matter expert involvement and review.
  • Set realistic expectations and communicate them clearly.

Structure

The committee consists of equal representation from news media and public safety agency stakeholders and will have decision-making authority as well as responsibility for legislative updates and plan implementation. To ensure equitable participation and engagement, subcommittees made up of subject matter experts will identify needs, resources, gaps and opportunities to inform the work of the committee.

Subcommittee focus areas include:

  • Training
  • Credentialing
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Administration

Committee Members

4087 Committee and Subcommittee Roster


Meetings

If members of the public would like to attend an upcoming meeting, contact OEM_PublicInfo@oem.oregon.gov.


Agendas

January 18, 2023

December 14, 2022

November 2, 2022

October 12, 2022

September 28, 2022

September 21, 2022

September 14, 2022

August 31, 2022

August 3, 2022

July 13, 2022

June 15, 2022

May 25, 2022

May 5, 2022


Minutes

January 18, 2023

November 2, 2022

October 12, 2022

September 28, 2022

September 21, 2022

August 31, 2022

August 3, 2022

July 13, 2022

June 15, 2022

May 25, 2022

May 5, 2022


Resources

Oregon House Bill 4087 and Overview Information

House Bill 4087 Guidance

House Bill 4087 Fact Sheet for Public Safety Agencies

Oregon Chapter Society of Professional Journalists Wildfire Access Training