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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 3578
Sponsored by Representative MANNIX
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act makes the Department of Wildfire. (Flesch Readability Score: 78.8).
Establishes the Department of Wildfire. Directs the department to oversee wildfire prevention,
intervention and recovery in this state.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to wildfire; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 401.851.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. (1) The Department of Wildfire is established.
(2) The department shall oversee wildfire prevention, intervention and recovery in this
state. The department shall coordinate as necessary with the State Fire Marshal, the State
Forestry Department, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Department of
Emergency Management, rural fire protection districts, fire wardens and local fire depart-
ments in carrying out the duties prescribed in this section.
(3) The department may request assistance from other state and local agencies as nec-
essary to carry out the duties prescribed in this section.
SECTION 2. (1) The Department of Wildfire is under the supervision and control of a
director, who is responsible for the performance of the duties, functions and powers of the
department.
(2) The Governor shall appoint the Director of the Department of Wildfire, who holds
office at the pleasure of the Governor.
(3) The director shall be paid a salary as provided by law or, if not so provided, as pre-
scribed by the Governor.
(4) Subject to the approval of the Governor, the director may organize and reorganize the
administrative structure of the department as the director considers appropriate to properly
conduct the work of the department.
(5) The director may divide the functions of the department into administrative divisions.
Subject to the approval of the Governor, the director may appoint an individual to administer
each division. The administrator of each division serves at the pleasure of the director and
is not subject to the provisions of ORS chapter 240. Each individual appointed under this
subsection must be well qualified by technical training and experience in the functions to be
performed by the individual.
SECTION 3. The appointment of the Director of the Department of Wildfire is subject
to confirmation by the Senate in the manner prescribed in ORS 171.562 and 171.565.
SECTION 4.(1) The Director of the Department of Wildfire shall, by written order filed
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 4364 HB3578
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with the Secretary of State, appoint a deputy director. The deputy director serves at the
pleasure of the director, has authority to act for the director in the absence of the director
and is subject to the control of the director at all times.
(2) Subject to any applicable provisions of ORS chapter 240, the director shall appoint all
subordinate officers and employees of the Department of Wildfire, prescribe their duties and
fix their compensation.
SECTION 5. In accordance with the provisions of ORS chapter 183, the Department of
Wildfire may adopt rules for the administration of the laws that the Department of Wildfire
is charged with administering.
SECTION 6.The Department of Wildfire Fund is established in the State Treasury, sep-
arate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the Department of Wildfire
Fund shall be credited to the fund. Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the
Department of Wildfire and may be used only for the purposes of carrying out sections 1 to
5 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 7. ORS 401.851 is amended to read:
401.851. (1) The Oregon Department of Emergency Management shall update its statewide
emergency plan as necessary to prepare for or respond to wildfire emergencies on an area-wide or
statewide basis. The plan developed by the department to prepare for or respond to wildfire emer-
gencies shall include, but need not be limited to, wildfire risk mitigation efforts and evacuation
planning.
(2) The department shall coordinate with cities, counties, adult foster homes, health care facili-
ties and residential facilities, the Department of Human Services [and], the Oregon Health Authority
and the Department of Wildfire to establish local or private procedures to prepare for emergen-
cies related to wildfire and ensure that local efforts to prevent, respond to or recover from an
emergency caused by wildfire are conducted in a manner consistent with the plan developed by the
Oregon Department of Emergency Management to prepare for or respond to wildfire emergencies.
The coordinated activities may include, but need not be limited to, providing training, carrying out
exercises and promoting community education.
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