OAKRIDGE CEDAR CREEK FIRE 2022 INTERNAL AFTER ACTION REPORT
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Date
2023-01
Authors
Smith, Hollie
Huber-Stearns, Heidi
Serio, Naomi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon
Abstract
An After Action Review workshop was facilitated on Monday, December 5, 2022 for City of
Oakridge, Lane County staff, and Oakridge community members who participated in the
emergency responses in Oakridge for wildfire evacuation and hazardous air quality related to
the Cedar Creek Fire (see timeline for details). Oakridge had 37 days from August-October 2022
when air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups (AQI of 101-150). In an effort to learn from
this unprecedented and extended event, Southern Willamette Forest Collaboratives partnered
with researchers at the University of Oregon to conduct this internal After Action Review. The
review consisted of one workshop that lasted 2 hours and was broken up into two sessions: 1)
evacuation and 2) smoke and air quality.
For evacuation, participants noted that several components of the evacuation went well,
primarily related to communication timing and modes, early planning, and the use of public
resources (e.g., buses). Key areas for evacuation improvement include staffing capacity,
establishing an Emergency Operation Center (EOC), and improving communication and
emergency planning for multiple scenarios (with and without electricity or external funding and
support).
For smoke and air quality, participants noted the success of the air purifier distribution
program, the installation of Purple Air sensors, a field trip for school children, and strong
communication about cleaner air spaces. The key areas for improvement include
communication and emergency planning for multiple scenarios, streamlining (and improving
the accessibility of) the purifier screening criteria and resource availability, and providing
additional support for schools. The remainder of this report is divided into: 1)
summarized/overall recommendations from both events; 2) Evacuation Timeline; 3) Smoke
Response Timeline; and 4) more information from the discussions from each session and the
resulting recommendations.
Description
11 pages
Keywords
Fire management, Cedar Creek Fire, Air quality, Risk managment, Emergency reponse, Evacuation