About our Organization
Women in Wildfire is a joint initiative within the Central Oregon Fire Management Service (COFMS), which facilitates fire suppression and fire management activities in the Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest, Crooked River National Grassland, and Bureau of Land Management, Prineville District.
These four units are managed cooperatively under combined leadership, with decision-makers from both agencies.
To streamline operations, the COFMS area is divided into five planning units called Divisions to facilitate fire suppression and fire management activities. Although the areas work together to complete projects and suppress fires, each Division has its own Fire Management Officer (FMO), Assistant Fire Management Officer (AFMO) and staff.
A central dispatch facility serves as the communication hub for fire and fuels operations, ensuring coordinated responses. COFMS also partners with the Oregon Department of Forestry for fire protection and hosts national resources such as smokejumpers, hotshot crews, rappelers, helicopters, and airtankers, strengthening its fire suppression and management capabilities.
Organizational Timeline
In July 2017, executive leadership within COFMS convened a group of women in fire careers across Central Oregon to learn more about the challenges and advantages of being a woman in fire, why recruitment and retention of women remain low, and how we can make positive changes moving forward.
Originally meant to be a one-time meeting, the executive leadership quickly recognized that the group should become a permanent part of COFMS, and Women in Wildfire took shape.
With continued support, the group has become a group of action convening around challenges, extending our reach, and making a difference where we can.
