BEND, OR -- A local fire district is already looking ahead to fire season, and they're providing an incentive to help people plan ahead. The Fire Free program is an effort by wildland fire agencies, including Deschutes Rural Fire Protection District #2.

Bend Fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe tells KBND News, "Because people are more effective when they work together, Fire Free has made a grant program available to help groups of people fund this mitigation of wildfire fuels." He suggests several neighbors could work together to make the money go further. "What they're looking for are projects that provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people, in terms of reducing fuels and keeping a community safe. If you have less of a chance of having a wildfire, well then your neighbor has less of a chance of having one spread to their property." Howe says the larger the group or the area involved in the grant application, the more likely it is to be awarded. Click HERE to access the online application.