Office of the Governor
State of Oregon 

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 25-16

PROCLAMATION OF STATE OF EMERGENCY DUE TO IMMINENT THREAT OF WILDFIRE

Pursuant to ORS 40l.l65 et seq., I find that the State of Oregon is in a critical statewide fire danger situation. We have experienced wildfires this season that resulted in multiple State conflagrations and federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) declarations, community evacuations, threatened and damaged critical infrastructure, and destroyed homes and other structures. Our neighboring states of California, Idaho and Washington continue to experience similar fires and weather. The extended climate forecast in Oregon calls for continued warm and dry conditions, resulting in imminent threat of fire across the state.

The Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System are heavily engaged in initial and extended wildfire attacks and Incident Management Teams are currently deployed in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal have requested a statewide declaration of emergency to sustain the fire response effort as fire conditions continue to escalate across the state. New and existing fire threats elevate the need for access to state resources, including ground support and firefighting aircraft. This threat is not likely to recede in the near future. It is critically important that state resources like the Oregon National Guard be prepared to expedite requested resources and respond effectively to these dangerous and dynamic conditions, if requested.

Therefore, I hereby declare a statewide State of Emergency due to the imminent and ongoing threat of wildfire.

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS DIRECTED AND ORDERED:

1. The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) shall activate the State's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and coordinate necessary access to use of personnel and equipment of all state agencies necessary to assess, alleviate, respond to, mitigate, and recover from conditions caused by this emergency. OEM shall coordinate all essential protective measures in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Forestry, and the Oregon Department of State Fire Marshal in support of identified disaster areas to protect lives, property, and environment. All Oregonians are to heed the direction of emergency officials regarding this emergency to protect their safety 

2. In conformance with the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and ORS 401, state agencies are directed to provide resources and support as directed by OEM to assist in the response to this emergency. Any local or tribal government requests for state resources must be submitted through county or tribal governing bodies to the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

3. The Oregon National Guard will deploy, and redeploy, firefighting resources as needed and in accordance with Operations Plan Smokey 2025 throughout the remainder of fire season based upon threat and resource shortfalls.

4. The Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshall is further authorized to assign fire-fighting forces and equipment on my behalf pursuant to ORS 476.520 in response to fire, a heightened danger of fire or a significant reduction in available fire-fighting resources during this emergency.

5. This determination of a wildfire emergency is statewide. It is not to be construed as a comprehensive declaration or proclamation of emergency for other purposes. It is limited to the use of state resources and personnel for fire management required by the emergency, to request assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact if needed, and to allow state agencies to suspend provision of any order or rule of the agency if compliance with the provisions of the order or rule would in any way prevent, hinder or delay mitigating or, recovering from, the effects of the wildfire emergency.

6. This order shall remain in effect until the threat is significantly relieved, or fire season ends, as determined by the Governor, or December 31, 2025, whichever occurs first.

Done at Salem, Oregon, this 16th day of July, 2025.

Tina Kotek 
GOVERNOR

ATTEST:
Tobias Read 
SECRETARY OF STATE