A firefighting aircraft flies over the southeast part of the Akawa Butte Fire, burning just north of Sisters, Ore., as the setting sun lights up the smoky air on July 24, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
When wildfires break out in rural parts of Oregon, it’s often landowners and ranchers first on the scene, working hand in hand to protect land and resources that make up their livelihood.
That partnership is at the heart of the Rangeland Fire Protection Association, or RFPA - volunteer ranchers and landowners who fight wildfires.
RFPA functions like volunteer fire departments but does not respond to structure fires and is specifically trained to fight wildfires. There are 29 RFPAs covering 18 million acres across Oregon, according to Ted Netter, a rancher and fire supervisor for the Lower Bridge RFPA.
“A large percentage of Oregon is private land, and not all of it is covered by any kind of rural department, federal agency, the state department of forestry, or anything else without the existence of rangeland associations,” Netter said.
RFPAs work alongside county, state and federal agencies, but are often the first on the scene when fires start in rural areas. Working alongside these agencies, they fill the gap with local knowledge of what’s often rough terrain and share equipment.
Netter is part of one of multiple groups fighting the Akawa Butte Fire in Jefferson and Deschutes counties. The fire has caused thousands of nearby residents to evacuate their homes as crews work to keep the fire from spreading to nearby Sisters, Oregon. Since the fire sparked, landowners and ranchers nearby have worked around the clock to suppress the flames.
“Pretty much everybody around puts everything down to come and help fight the fires, and it’s still something that continues to happen even with the RFPAs in place,” Ross Ryno, a rancher and member of the Twickenham RFPA, said.
Ryno’s working in coordination with Netter on the Akawa Butte Fire. He has a history of helping neighbors and his community when wildfires would break out. Now, as part of the RFPA, he said he has the training, equipment and resources to help.
“In the past, it would be a lot of neighbors kind of going a bunch of different directions, and this way it allows us to be kind of a united front on how we’re attacking these fires and different things,” Ryno said.
RFPAs are working across the state to battle the more than 150 wildfires, and nearly 500,000 acres have already burned this wildfire season. While exhaustion and coordination remain a challenge, there’s relief in camaraderie.
“We’re all facing these challenges right now, but we’re also all one team,” Netter said. “We work together, trade parts and support each other.”
That companionship extends to the local, state and federal crews working in remote areas to put out fires.
“They listen to us; they work with us,” Ryno said. “We’re still able to be right in there and use our local knowledge to help.”
The idea of neighbors helping neighbors during disasters is at the heart of each RFPA.
“Without neighbors, without other people coming and getting involved, none of this would be possible,” he said.
