(Salem, OR) -- Rural fire departments in Oregon are able to buy used fire equipment from the state Department of Forestry. Governor Tina Kotek signed a bill that allows Rangeland Fire Protection Associations to buy depreciated firefighting tools from the state. Kotek says they play a vital role in local fire management across central and eastern Oregon. There are 28 of the associations providing fire protection across nearly 18 million acres of the state. Without the new legislation, RFPAs had no direct access to state surplus vehicles and supplies.