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Oregon is not going to be able to stop wildfires. It might be able to stop some wildfires from burning more homes.

The 2024 Legislature missed an opportunity to start a program to do just that. It should be considered again when the Legislature meets in 2025.

It was Senate Bill 1511. It was a committee bill, meaning it didn’t have a direct legislator attached to it. But it was backed by Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland. Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang was also a supporter.

The bill would have basically created a state program to help communities be more wildfire ready. The state fire marshal would create a grant program to enable communities to better protect themselves against wildfire. And if such a project or similar project was certified by the state as improving the community’s wildfire resilience, the residents could be eligible for an official risk reduction, qualifying them for lowered insurance payments.

The bill had a $5 million price tag attached to it to set up the grants. Bills with fiscal impacts got close scrutiny at the end of the session and this one died.

Roaring flames of a wildfire will sometimes sweep through a community unstoppable. But sometimes embers from wildfires are carried on the wind. It makes a great difference what kind of roof a home has, if its vents are not ready openings for embers, if the landscaping near the home are not de facto kindling.

Oregon homeowners are already being turned down for insurance because of wildfire danger or paying more. This won’t help all of them. It would help a lot more of them than doing nothing.