Deep in rural southeastern Oregon, where paved roads give way to sage and the nearest Forest Service station might be an hour's drive, the first line of defense against a wildfire is often a rancher in a retrofitted military surplus Humvee. These are the members of Oregon's Rangeland Fire Protection Associations — volunteer firefighting organizations staffed by the ranching and farming communities they protect, playing an increasingly vital role in a state that saw a record 2.4 million acres burn in 2026.

What Are RFPAs?

Rangeland Fire Protection Associations are collaborative, community-based organizations authorized under Oregon law that allow local landowners — mostly ranchers and farmers — to form volunteer fire crews, acquire surplus government equipment, and respond to rangeland fires alongside state and federal agencies. Similar organizations exist in neighboring states, including Idaho, Nevada, and Washington.

Tom Sharp, who heads the North Harney Rangeland Fire Protection Association near Burns, Oregon, describes the mission clearly: "We extend the capacity — the resource capacity and the effectiveness — of first response to the state and federal government wildland fire agencies."

That extension of capacity matters enormously in places like Harney County, where the county seat of Burns is separated from rangeland fires by hours of driving on two-lane and dirt roads. By the time a state or federal engine crew arrives, an RFPA truck may have already deployed and begun direct attack on a new ignition.

The 2026 Season: Tested to the Limit

The 2026 fire season tested Oregon's RFPAs like no season in recent memory. The Second Flat Fire — a lightning-caused blaze that burned more than 100,000 acres of range and pine in late July — damaged equipment from Sharp's association, including a military surplus Humvee that suffered a catastrophic transmission failure while fighting the fire. The crew was forced to drive the vehicle in forward gear only to reach a repair shop in nearby Hines, Oregon.

"We had to absolutely be sure that there wasn't going to be a situation where we had to back up," Sharp recounted. "We eventually brought it into the repair shop in forward gear." The story is both a testament to the resourcefulness of RFPA volunteers and a reminder of the limited resources with which they work.

The Coleman Creek Fire, which burned 313,000 acres and scorched 40 miles along U.S. Highway 20 south of Burns, provided another stark illustration of why community-based fire response matters in Oregon's vast high desert. The sheer scale of the fire overwhelmed conventional suppression capacity, and RFPA crews were among those providing critical early containment on spot fires and perimeter segments.

The Agricultural Stakes

For ranchers like Sharp, fighting wildfires isn't just a civic duty — it's economic survival. "When we lose our rangelands to wildfire, we're losing natural resources that support the agricultural industry here," he said. "In this part of the country, certainly here in eastern Oregon, we are an agricultural-based economy: ranching and farming, livestock grazing."

Rangeland fires destroy forage, fences, water infrastructure, and the years of range management investment that support livestock operations. For many ranching families operating on thin margins, a major fire can be an existential threat to the operation.

National Preparedness Picture

As of October 22, 2026, NIFC's Incident Management Situation Report listed national preparedness at Level 1 — the lowest level — reflecting the seasonal decline in fire activity across the country. Resources that were mobilized nationally to fight the summer's fires are being demobilized and returned to home units. For many RFPA volunteers across Oregon, that means a chance to repair equipment, replenish supplies, and prepare for the next season — which, given 2026's record fuel conditions, may arrive sooner and more intensely than anyone hopes.