| 2008 Wildfire Home Awareness Contest |
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The 2008 Wildfire Home Awareness Contest encourages homeowners in the wildland-urban interface to make fire-safing improvements before the 2008 wildfire season.
Homeowners in 12 northwestern Oregon counties can enter for a chance to win up to $500 in cash to help make their homes survivable in the event of a wildfire.
Beginning May 3, four contestant homes will be selected each week through June 27 to compete against each other. Each week, the home judged to be the best prepared to survive a wildfire will receive a $500 cash prize. The three runner-ups will also receive cash prizes ranging from $50 to $200, depending on how their homes score for survivability.
Weekly winners will be announced on the Dave Schmitke Home and Garden television show on KPTV Fox 12 on Saturday mornings between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. You can also find out more information on the contest and tips for making your home more fire defensible by watching the Dave Schmitke Home and Garden Show starting on Saturday, April 12. Links to the video clips from the show that are relating to the contest, Wildfire Awareness Week 2008, and safe debris burning are also available below.
Events Commemorate Wildfire Awareness Week [3.32 minutes]
Removing Debris in a Safe Way [3.56 minutes]
Think Early About Protecting Homes From Wildfire [5.01 minutes]
Preparing for Wilfire Season [2.32 minutes]
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| Grand Prize |
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In addition to the cash prizes, contestants that earn $200 or more will be entered into a grand prize drawing that will be held on July 2 for an all-expanse-paid vacation to Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort & Casino - an estimated value of $500 that includes:
- Two nights lodging for up to four adults in a standard room
- Dinner for four (maximum $100)
- Breakfast for four (maximum $60)
- Miniature Golf for four
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| Who is eligible |
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Homeowners in the Oregon counties of Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, or Yamhill. Homeowners must be legal residents of the United States and 18 years of age or older. Only one entry form will be accepted per address and homeowners must reside at the address being submitted.
Printable version of complete contest rules [PDF; 2 pages]
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| Interested, but not eligible? |
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Were you interested in participating in the 2008 Wildfire Home Awareness Contest, but were not eligible to do so because you live outside the participating 12-county area? The Oregon Department of Forestry wants to hear from you.
Contact Malcolm Hiatt and let him know the county your residence is located in - and thanks for your help as we plan for future contests and events to promote wildfire awareness in our wildland-urban interface.
Malcolm Hiatt, Protection Unit Forester
Forest Grove District Office
Oregon Department of Forestry
801 Gales Creek Road
Forest Grove, OR 97116-1118
PH: 503-359-7450
email: mhiatt@odf.state.or.us
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| Sponsors |
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The 2008 Wildfire Home Awareness Contest is sponsored by the following public agencies, organizations, and private businesses:
- Clatsop County Firefighters Association
- Clatsop County Fire Defense Board
- Fire Defense Board Chiefs from Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Polk, Washington, and Yamhill Counties
  
  
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| How to enter |
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E-mail your name, address, contact information, and the county the residence is located in to mhiatt@odf.state.or.us.
You may also submit the same information on a sheet of paper and mail it or drop it off at:
Oregon Department of Forestry
Attention: Wildfire Contest
801 Gales Creek Road
Forest Grove, OR 97116-1118
Entries must be received, at the above address, by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 2, 2008 to be eligible for all eight weeks. Entries will be accepted until Friday, June 20, 2008.
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| Learn more . . . |
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To learn more about the 2008 Wildfire Home Makeover Contest, contact:
Malcolm Hiatt, Protection Unit Forester
Forest Grove District Office
Oregon Department of Forestry
801 Gales Creek Road
Forest Grove, OR 97116-1118
PH: 503-359-7450
email: mhiatt@odf.state.or.us
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| 2007 Contest |
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Kane residence after the "makeover"
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In 2007, a similar contest was held to raise awareness about wildfire hazards and what residents could do to minimize wildfire damage to their homes by creating "survivable space". The 2007 contest winners - Jerrie and Don Kane of North Plains - received a complete home makeover, including:
- brush removal around the home - creating a 30-foot fire buffer
- removing excess trees ("ladder fuels")
- making the dead-end driveway into a circular drive-way (improving emergency vehicle access)
- new landscaping plants
- a drip irrigation system
- stone pathways
- a safety burn barrel (to replace the current burn pile)
- replacing the wooden walkway with a cement-paver patio
- construction of a new woodshed
For more information about the 2007 contest and the Kane residence make-over - including photos of the makeover in progress, visit the2007 contest web page.
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| Wildfire Awareness Week: May 4-10, 2008 |
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A demonstration model of a fire-safe home
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Rural or urban . . . forest or grassland . . . high desert or sandy beach . . . our homes are vulnerable to wildfire.
Traditionally, the first full week of May is declared by Oregon's Governor as Wildfire Awareness Week. In 2008, that week is May 4-10.
Throughout Wildfire Awareness Week, state, local, and federal fire agencies spread the word about wildfire prevention and the steps Oregonians can take to stop most fires before they start. Keep Oregon Green Association, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and others who work in wildfire prevention and protection work to also prepare a variety of materials to help with wildfire awareness throughout our state.
In 2008, the Wildlife Awareness Week campaign is focusing on backyard debris burning - including burn piles and burn barrels - which is the leading cause of careless human behavior that causes wildfires in Oregon. In 2007, 273 of these types of fires burned 1,828 acres.
The Keep Oregon Green Association is leading this year's Wildfire Awareness Week campaign and you can find more out about promotions, events, and safe debris burning at their Wildfire Awareness Week web page. The Oregon Department of Forestry also has developed a web page for Wildfire Awareness Week 2008 that focuses on five simple steps homeowners can take to have safe and successful backyard debris burn.
Citizens can also learn more about preventing wildfires and protecting their homes by contacting their local fire department, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and regional offices of the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
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