Residents voice concerns over fire prevention practices

Medford, Or.- Susan Bermudez is not only a concerned resident but a concerned mom.

“My son actually experienced a pretty serious medical condition over the summer,” she said.

Asthma combined with the smoke from this fire season made for a rough summer.

“This is a 16-year-old child that can’t breathe, wakes up, throws up, wheezes and to the point were it’s a petrifying feeling for a parent,” Susan said.

Even with medical coverage the out-of-pocket costs were overwhelming.

“We had to buy two different inhalers,” she said. “The cost was over $650 just for the summer.”

But Susan knows she’s not alone.

“To single out what my concern is minor when I look at the big scope of things and what could have been prevented,” she said.

She along with other residents took part in an informational meeting about the smoke and fires in Southern Oregon.

“We need to reach out, we need to actually speak to the senators and our voices need to be heard,” said she. “This is our home, this is where we want to be and you need education-based information in how we can fight it and make it a better state for all of us.”

The group called, the “concerns citizens of Jackson and Josephine County” say the goal of the meeting was to encourage residents to speak up and call their state representatives about fire prevention efforts and what they’d like to see them do about it.

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