A Greater Applegate is currently working with local partner organizations and community member to bring Resilience Hubs to the valley…
What are Resilience Hubs?
Resilience Hubs are community-serving facilities augmented to support residents, coordinate communication, and distribute needed resources before, during, and after an emergency or natural disaster.
Services that Resilience Hubs provide…
Why bring Resilience Hubs to the Applegate?
The Applegate is isolated from the big city resources of Grants Pass and Medford. This distance from large scale development is part of what gives the Applegate its unique rural charm. However, it also means we need to be able to fend for ourselves in the event of an emergency, as it’s not guaranteed we’ll be able to rely on county services. This is where the self-reliance resources Resilience Hubs bring to the table become useful. The hubs will serve as locations where Applegaters can gather in the event of an emergency or natural disaster and access the resources they might need locally (shelter, food, water, wifi, power, ect). The hub model will also hopefully enable local first responders to more efficiently address the emergency, as they won’t have to devote so much of their time directing the public.
What will they look like?
The Applegate lacks the traditional downtown area or community center where a Resilience Hub might be located in a city. This reality has necessitated what might be considered a ‘non-traditional’ approach to assembling Hubs here in the Valley. In other words, we’ve had to be creative.
Where a city might select one centrally located space for their Hub, we’ve instead opted to assemble multiple hubs in strategic locations across the Valley. The Ruch Public Library and Pacifica in Williams have both been selected as potential sites for future Hubs. Additionally, a project is in motion to assemble a ‘multi-purpose response vehicle’ (with attached cooling trailer) that will bring mobile resilience hub services to the Valley.
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or CWPP, is a plan developed by a community at risk of wildfire. The Community Wildfire Protection Planning process is a collaboration between communities and agencies interested in reducing wildfire risk for the area involved. The Applegate Partnership and Watershed Council is working with the relevant local, state, and federal agencies to update our region’s CWPP.
You can learn more about the process and why your input in crucial on the Applegate Partnership’s website.
The All Things Fire Fair is an annual community event held in the Applegate focused on wildfire and community preparedness. It aims to help us move towards becoming a more fire-adapted region and features a family-friendly atmosphere, a mix of informational tables, presentations, and live demonstrations. Below you will find recordings of past presentations and links to helpful resources that have been shared at the fair in previous years!
2025 Presentation Videos:
- Fire Marshall Brian Mulhollen’s Introduction
- Brian Mulhollen, The Fire Marshall at Applegate Valley Fire District, welcomes the audience to the 2025 All Things Fire Fair and gives insight into what the district has been up to as of late.
- Matt Ramage’s Presentation on Homeowner’s Insurance
- Matt Ramage, the Consumer Education and Engagement Coordinator for the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, discusses Homeowners Insurance in Oregon as it relates to wildfires.
- Rich Fairbanks’s discusses local Prescriptions for Safety Project
- Wildfire management expert, and Applegate resident, Rich Fairbanks presents on a local project to reduce roadside fuels and mitigate wildfire hazards.
- Bureau of Land Management Presentation on SOS Fuels Project
- Kyle Sullivan, Public Affairs Specialist for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Medford District, discusses the BLM’s Strategic Operations for Safety (SOS) fuels reduction project as it relates to the Applegate Valley.
- Tucker Teutsch’s Presentation on Home Hardening
- Tucker Teutsch, Executive Director of Firebrand Resiliency Collective, gives a presentation on home hardening and homeowner responsibility at the 2025 All Things Fire Fair.
- Nathan Gehres Discusses Fuels Reduction Efforts on Private Land
- Nathan Gehres, Habitat Restoration Project Manager at the Applegate Partnership and Watershed Council (APWC), discusses his recent wildfire mitigation work in collaboration with homeowners across the Valley.
