Sunriver Scene July 2026 - Flipbook - Page 31
Make summer saftey a priority when recreating on water and land
By Jim Bennett
Summer is in full swing! July
is known for beautiful, warm
temperatures, an occasional
thunderstorm and nonstop outdoor activities. Safe recreation
and fire prevention, specifically
wildfire prevention, should be
at the top of everyone’s July list.
Last month, we began the
conversation about river safety. If you didn’t read it, make
sure to check it out in the June
Scene. As picturesque as the
river is, it demands respect.
When out on the river in your
watercraft, remember that Oregon has specific laws for the
safety of water users.
These include the requirement that there be a U.S. Coast
Guard approved life jacket for
every person on board, and children 12 and under must wear
their life jacket at all times on
any vessel (including personal
watercraft) unless within an
enclosed cabin. All watercraft
must carry a sound-producing
device such as a whistle or horn.
A complete list of requirements can be found at oregon.gov/osmb. Our waterways
are patrolled and compliance
is required.
Just like on the waterways,
our bike and pedestrian pathways also have safety rules to
A life jacket and a soundproducing device such a
whistle are required safety
items on all watercraft.
keep everyone safe. No one
wants a fun biking day to turn
into a trip in the back of one of
our ambulances.
The guiding message is to
use caution and be aware while
riding on the trails as during
the height of summer they can
become incredibly busy. Rules
from Sunriver Owners Association for use of the pathways
include maximum speed of 15
MPH, yielding right of way to
pedestrians, always pass on the
left and give an audible signal,
and dismount from your bike
and walk through any tunnel that shows all of the different
that has gates.
monitoring stations throughout
the state, including Central
Oregon. Go to aqi.oregon.gov
Smoke cautions
If you are a resident or have to view real-time data and levels
visited in the past, you know of unhealthiness in air quality.
that we can go through periods Many times, but not always,
of smoke from wildfires near the smoke will improve during
and far, sometimes very far, the overnight hours only to
where the smoke has blown in. intensify the next day.
In past years smoke has at times
been thick enough to cause air Fire safety
quality alerts where you must
Each year, we mention the
make your own personal deci- flammability of outdoor furniture, yes, outdoor furniture.
sion of how to respond.
People with compromised Imagine a cloth, plastic, or
health conditions that may canvas chair, cushion or chaise
be exacerbated by the smoke lounge and a hot ember landing
should consider staying inside on it from a fire (that may acduring those smoky periods, tually be from a fire not in our
and for everyone, consider community). Just like landing
limiting or reducing outdoor on other flammable items such
activities. To keep the smoke as forest debris and woodpiles,
out of our homes, close doors that ember can turn a deck into
and windows and monitor an inferno by igniting patio
your HVAC system. Units that furniture. When it comes to
recirculate indoor air are fine to outdoor furniture and wildfire
run, but those that pull in fresh risk, material matters more than
outside air should be shut off or any single rating label. The safswitched to recirculation mode est choices are noncombustible
during heavy smoke events. If or ignition-resistant materials:
you have a portable air purifier cast aluminum, wrought iron,
with a HEPA filter, run it in steel, stone and concrete are
the rooms where you spend the far better than wicker, rattan,
most time.
plastic resin or untreated wood.
How much is too much? The
For cushions and fabric covOregon Department of Envi- ers, look for products that comronmental Quality has a page ply with NFPA 701, a widely
used flammability standard for
textiles, or CPAI-84, which
covers outdoor fabrics specifically. These designations may
appear on hang tags or product
descriptions. Storing cushions
indoors when not in use is one
of the simplest and most effective steps you can take. Think
of it this way: a metal chair with
stored cushions is a different
fire risk than a fully furnished
wicker sectional left out on a
hot July night.
With our dry forests each
year the total ban on fireworks
makes complete sense. All it
takes is one spark from a firework and we have disaster. Keep
in mind that our fireworks ban
is without exception.
No fireworks of any kind;
that also includes sparklers and
other safe and sane varieties.
Please help protect our community by strictly following this
ban, even one spark can start
what none of us want.
As always, make sure you
are signed up for Sunriver and
Deschutes County alerts which
you can find at sunriveremergencyinfo.com. Enjoy your
July, be safe and take in all that
Central Oregon has to offer.
–Jim Bennett is the public
information offer for the
Sunriver Fire Department
JULY 2026 SUNRIVER SCENE
Page 31
