This May, voters in the Row River Valley will decide if they need their own fire district.
The Row River Valley area, a rural unincorporated community in South Lane County, isn’t under the jurisdiction of a fire district.
Kathleen Istudor is a board member of Row River Valley Fire Response, the nonprofit that’s organizing efforts to form the district. She said she’s seen neighbors try to put out a house fire with garden hoses.
“It was horrifying seeing my neighbors risk their lives without any protection,” she said.
She said neighboring fire districts have donated equipment and training, but that’s not enough to protect the area from a crisis. She said forming a district would allow the community to have its own fire stations, pay for equipment and regular training.
If approved, the new district would cost homeowners $2.40 per $1,000 of assessed value each year.
Walt Bernard, president of Row River Valley Fire Response, said the new district will be completely staffed by volunteers. He said land has already been donated as well as several important pieces of firefighting equipment.
The funds will be used to set up a few satellite fire stations to ensure quick response times, as well as for maintenance, fuel and training.
“The missing piece for this community is a structural fire response,” he said, “that can be on point, and on time and stop a fire from growing into one of these major events that takes lives, or spreads to the whole community.”
