Fire officials said the lack of a defensible space around this home in the Three Rivers subdivision contributed to its loss in 2018.

With wildfire season on the horizon, the Oregon State Fire Marshal has opened up an incentive program to help people pay for defensible space cleanup around their homes.

Those who meet eligibility requirements will receive a $250 one-time payment. Homeowners, renters and property owners can apply for the program and request a free defensible space assessment to determine what work needs to be done. Participants must live in a high hazard community.

Defensible space work typically includes removing needles, branches, mulch and other debris from surface areas around decks, fences and yards. Flammable vegetation may also be removed from areas under eaves and wood piles moved away from structures.

The free assessments are given by a local fire service agency or an Oregon State Fire Marshal representative. Those who qualify will receive the payment in the mail for their participation.

The incentive is designed to encourage people to implement the recommendations received during the assessment. Fifty communities around the state were chosen based on fire exposure risk, using a 2018 report from wildfire analysis firm Pyrologix, and high social vulnerability based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social vulnerability index.

“The combination of data from these two reports determined the communities with the highest risk and most financial need,” said Kassie Keller, a spokesperson for the Oregon State Fire Marshall.

Eligible communities in Central Oregon include Warm Springs, Culver, La Pine, Terrebonne, Madras, Redmond, Metolius and Prineville. More information online can be found at oregondefensiblespace.org.