Pine Valley Firewise® Community was started by three women. One was the president for the rural community's 501 c 3 called United Community Partners (she organized all the data and google group groups and became the backbone of the organization), and the other was new to the community who had experienced the tragedy of a community that nearly burned from wildland fire (she became the networker, the voice and the hands and the feet). The third person was a writer from the local community paper who also had first hand experience of wildland fire and nearly losing their woods, structures to a wild fire (she was the written communicator bringing together the facts and the history of the Pine Valley).

It took an immense amount of communication for the community to come together as not everyone reads the local paper. We have formed a board or committee that helps oversee the work of the three ladies mentioned above.

Also, United Community Partners being a 501 c 3 has adopted Pine Valley Firewise® Community to be one of their projects, which then allows our group to write grants. Partnering with the local schools superintendent, holding events, knocking on everyone's door in the community, and interviews with experts keeping fresh information in the paper and at events at least twice per month.

Was it worth it? Yes, in less than a year we have and received three grants. We have 80 people in our Firewise® group and the number grows each month, we will be helping over 30 residents this summer create safety zones around their structures with the support of Oregon Dept. of Forestry, NW Youth Corp, Wallowa resources, Pine Valley Rural Fire District and of course Pine Valley Firewise® Community volunteers.