Large parts of rural Josephine County do not have fire districts in the local government sense. They are instead protected by private businesses that perform fire and medical emergency services for fees.
An advisory vote last spring showed strong support for the formation of a rural fire district, and the legislature allocated some money for the project in an appropriations bill late in the session.
State Senator Herman Baertschiger of Grants Pass is the Republican leader in the senate. He visits with an update on what might happen next to form a rural fire protection district in Josephine County, with additional perspective on the legislative session that saw Baertschiger's Republicans walk out to stop the business of the Senate.