As wildfires continued to rage this week and new ones flared up, The Bulletin staff stepped up, as always, to make sure readers knew where the fires were burning, what crews were doing to quell the flames , where to find shelter and who could expect diminished air quality due to the smoke. 

In case you missed any of the coverage, The Bulletin has a dedicated link. 

The information The Bulletin gathers often comes from press releases, fire officials, forest service spokespeople and law enforcement authorities. 

This week, as the Bachelor Complex Fire grew, Sunriver residents and nearby neighborhoods were placed on a Level 2 evacuation notice, meaning they had to get set to evacuate at a moment’s notice. This editor was among those residents. No matter how many times we’ve informed the public about people being under those same circumstances, experiencing it sheds a whole new light on coverage angles. As I told the staff, it’s different when you’re in it. 

At Level 2, people must consider what to save and what to leave behind. If a person is of mature age, chances are they’ve accumulated many possessions — photos, trinkets, books they can’t part with, art, all the stuff it takes to create a home, clothes you plan to wear again someday and important paperwork. So, how do people distill that down to only what will fit in a couple of cars? It’s an exercise many people experienced this week. Not only what to pack into their vehicles, but where to go if they’re forced to evacuate. 

When Bulletin reporter Clayton Franke set out to talk to Sunriver residents, he used that knowledge as he reported the story.      

Experiences are a good guide to reporting, allowing news gatherers to ask the less obvious questions and empathize with people in difficult situations.

Similarly, your experiences can help shape our coverage. What goes in your car if you are evacuated? What does your emergency preparedness look like? What were you thinking the last time you had to plan for an evacuation? Share your stories by emailing editor@bendbulletin.com.  

– Jody Lawrence-Turner, projects editor