SISTERS, OR -- Free events planned over the next several weeks aim to help Central Oregonians get homes and property ready for wildfire season. 

The Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative hosts a preparedness fair in Sisters Wednesday evening; it’s the first in a series of five planned for the tri-county region. Presenters will offer tips on preparing for smoke events and prescribed burns, and how to mitigate wildfire risk around homes. Full schedule of preparedness fairs:

• Wed. March 20, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Commuinity Rm (301 S. Elm St. Sisters)
• Sun. April 7, 1 - 3 p.m., at Bend Fire & Resscue Station 306 (425 NE 15th St. Bend)
• Sat. April 13, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m., at the Crook Co. OSU Extension 4-H Clover Building (502 SE Lynn Blvd. Prineville)
• Sun. April 28, 1 - 4 p.m., at the Jefferson County Fire & EMS Station (765 S. 5th St. Madras)
• TBD, La Pine

Friday morning, Oregon State University Extension and the State Fire Marshal’s Office begin a series of risk reduction workshops. Arial Cowan, a regional fire specialist with OSU Extension, says some of the focus is on defensible space, "We cater the information to this region. And, we also get to talk a little bit about fire resistant plants, which there’s a new updated publication from OSU Extension on that topic."

OSFM fire risk reduction specialist Heather Miller tells KBND News there’s also good info about home hardening, "Keeping the siding maintained, to a point where embers aren’t going to catch and start a fire on the house, to making sure that your roofing is in good shape and resistant to fire."

Cowan says living in such a wildfire prone area can make some feel helpless. But, "Focusing on, not only the building materials of your home, but also the landscaping around your home, that’s where you can have the greatest impact in reducing that risk of wildfire to your home." And, she says, the workshop supplements a professional defensible space assessment, "Even if they do find someone else who’s going to be coming to assess their home, they already have a head start in understanding some of the language, some of the things they can focus on."

This is the second year for the workshop series, "There’s always new research being done and we’re always trying to revise and update our presentations to really show what the latest and greatest information is," says Miller. She adds, "There’s a lot of talk out there about codes and stuff coming forward, and regulations and such. And so, really our goal is to push that to best practices and latest science."

Pre-registration for the workshops is strongly encouraged. Click HERE for more information.