{"id":23918,"date":"2025-10-02T20:19:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T20:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/?p=23918"},"modified":"2025-10-02T20:32:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T20:32:04","slug":"santa-fe-realtors-promote-diverse-housing-options-in-housing-strapped-region-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-4-2-4-2-2-3-2-4-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-2-3-2-2-2-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-2-2-3-2-2-5-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/homepage\/success-story\/kcar-rural1025","title":{"rendered":"In rural Oregon, Klamath County Association of REALTORS\u00ae Conducts Wildfire Mitigation Symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A densely forested environment makes Klamath County in eastern Oregon idyllic in many ways, but it also means that \u2013 as in so many western regions \u2013 wildfire disaster is an increasing threat. To equip its members, neighbors, and county administrators with as much information as possible, the 212-member Klamath County Association of REALTORS\u00ae (KCAR) hosted a Wildfire Symposium last spring. Its success has already inspired similar programs at neighboring associations; a Rural Outreach Grant from the REALTOR\u00ae Party helped to make it possible.<\/p>\n

Government Affairs Chair Misty Daniel explains that her committee is always looking to bring members information on hot topics in real estate (no pun intended.) \u201cOregon\u2019s latest fire maps had just come out, and we thought it was really important to do this, not just for members, but for the everyone who lives here. Our message is that yes, this new reality is alarming, but here\u2019s what you can do about it.\u201d The symposium was worth three Continuing Education hours for members, and by inviting local officials, the city and county planning departments, and members of the press, the information gained an exponential reach.<\/p>\n

About fifty people attended the mid-week morning event, and heard from a range of experts invited by the well-connected members of KCAR\u2019s Government Affairs Committee. The local fire district presented its wildfire-mitigation best practices and classification system, which, when implemented by property owners, could result in a decrease in annual fire insurance premiums; it also publicized its community risk reduction program that provides defensible space assessments and helps with defensive clearing. One key take-away from this presentation, notes Daniel, is that in Klamath County and beyond, wildfire mitigation practices are necessary wherever a house is located: \u201cPeople need to understand that just because you don\u2019t live in a forest, it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re safe from fires; we learned that a spark can travel up to two miles on a breeze!\u201d<\/p>\n

On the insurance front, a specialist explained the impact of insurance company fire maps and how to navigate potential costs with providers. Representatives from the state\u2019s Division of Financial Regulation presented resources available to Oregonians facing cancelled policies, and another from the Oregon Fair Plan addressed options for those unable to obtain coverage. A wildfire mitigation consultant provided an overview of the local wildfire maps, and reinforced actions that homeowners could take to protect their property and communities through mitigation, management, and policy advocacy.<\/p>\n

The grant from the REALTOR\u00ae Party funded the venue rental, a catered brunch, the consultant\u2019s fee, accommodations for out-of-town panelists, and printed materials for all the presentations. On a table at the exit, flyers and contact information were available so participants could follow up with presenters and ask the questions that often occur after such an information-rich event.<\/p>\n

KCAR AE Mandy Gomez, the association\u2019s sole staff member, reports an up-tick in calls from members since the symposium, and that other local associations have reached out to learn about offering something similar. She also notes that KCAR\u2019s relationships with elected officials and community stakeholders are strengthened by its ability to offer this kind of programming: \u201cAs a micro-association with BIG thinkers, we don\u2019t always have the budget to host these types of events. These grants from the REALTOR\u00ae Party make that possible for us!\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about how Oregon\u2019s Klamath County Association of REALTORS\u00ae is working to help residents learn what they need to know about wildfire mitigation and fire insurance issues, contact Executive Officer Mandy Gomez at kcarealtors123@gmail.com<\/a> or 541.882.2528; or Government Affairs Chair Misty Daniel at 541.281.2342.[\/vc_column_text][vc_images_carousel images=”23932,23931,23930″ img_size=”medium” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With help from NAR\u2019s Rural Outreach Grant program, the Klamath County Association brought in experts in fire-fighting, insurance issues, and policy to educate members, locals, and elected officials on key matters relating to the risk of wildfires. It was such a success that neighboring associations have been inspired to do the same.","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,33,296],"tags":[454,1409,1799],"class_list":["post-23918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-us","category-success-stories","category-success-story","tag-oregon","tag-rural-outreach","tag-rural-outreach-grant"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23918"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23935,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23918\/revisions\/23935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}