Safe Media Access to Disaster Sites Committee (HB4087)

Summary

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, House Bill 4087 allows news media representatives to access wildfire or other natural disaster scenes on Oregon public lands that are otherwise closed to the public during these incidents. The bill does not apply to private property, federal land, tribal land or property owned by educational institutions such as school districts, charter schools, colleges and universities.

The bill directs Oregon Emergency Management to convene a collaborative committee of news media and public safety agency stakeholders to develop guidelines for safety training and media access protocols.

Objectives

Develop guidelines to safely ensure equitable media access to wildfires and other natural disaster incidents in Oregon.
Educate public safety and media personnel on roles and expectations for access during wildfires and other natural disasters to assure mutual understanding.
Ensure stakeholder and subject matter expert involvement and review.
Set realistic expectations and communicate them clearly.

Structure

The committee consists of equal representation from news media and public safety agency stakeholders and will have decision-making authority as well as responsibility for legislative updates and plan implementation. To ensure equitable participation and engagement, subcommittees made up of subject matter experts will identify needs, resources, gaps and opportunities to inform the work of the committee.

Subcommittee focus areas include: