About Us
The La Pine Rural Fire Protection District was formed, by order of the Board of Commissioners of Deschutes County on May 12, 1971. Prior to that time, the La Pine Rural Fire Protection Association provided fire protection to the community of La Pine. Regulations pertaining to rural fire protection districts are contained in ORS Chapter 478. A Board of Directors consisting of five members administers the Fire District, each elected for a term of four years. The purpose of the Fire District is to provide fire protection and other public safety services to people living in and visiting the Fire District’s protection area. Property taxes are levied, as provided by ORS 478.430 to meet the cost of fire protection and other expenses of the Fire District. Other income sources supplement property tax funds.
In March of 1980, the Board of County Commissioners ordered annexations of Wildriver and Newberry Estates subdivisions. In December of 1987 annexation of the Spring River Estates subdivision was ordered by the Board of County Commissioners. In March of 1988 annexation of the Wagon Trail Ranch subdivision (Klamath County) was ordered by the Board of County Commissioners. In April of 1992 the Board of County Commissioners ordered the annexation of the Sunriver Business Park. In 2003 Old Howard Estates (Klamath County) and three small miscellaneous areas were annexed into the district. These annexations were ordered at the request of the occupants and with the support of the Fire District to provide automatic services to all neighborhoods in the area of the Fire District.
The La Pine Rural Fire Protection District is bordered on the North by the community of Sunriver and receives mutual aid protection from the Sunriver Fire Department. It is bordered on the East by US Forest and BLM lands generally following the gas line from North to South. The Fire District is bordered on the South by Klamath County with Old Howard Estates and Wagon Trail Ranch of Klamath County included. It is bordered on the West by US Forest and BLM lands generally following the lines of demarcation of the inhabited and uninhabited lands (from about three to seven miles for the Eastern boarder). The Fire District covers about 115 square miles of area.