u/Informal-Jacket-5696

My husband and I live in a small rural town in Northeast Oregon. We are looking for guidance—and potentially recommendations for an Oregon attorney experienced in municipal law, public records, or civil rights—regarding an incident with our local rural fire department.

A neighbor called in an alleged illegal burn while my husband and I were outside barbecuing. A fire truck pulled up, asked if we had a fire, and we said no. They drove off.

Shortly after going inside for dinner, there was a knock at the door. My husband opened it to find the Fire Chief and 6 to 8 individuals standing on our porch/front yard. Only a few had any visible identification or official gear.

They asked again if we had a fire; my husband stated no and asked them to leave our property. Instead of leaving, the Chief threatened to fine us and charge us with "abusing 911" (we never called 911). As they were leaving, one of the individuals began shouting profanities and making severe, defamatory personal attacks against my husband.

The entire interaction was recorded on our home security cameras.

Because the individuals lacked proper badges or uniform identification, we submitted formal public records requests to both the Rural Fire Department and the City to obtain dispatch logs, incident reports, and the roster/names of the personnel on scene that night. Both entities have failed or refused to provide the requested records.

1. What steps can we take under Oregon Public Records Law when a local fire district or city ignores or delays a records request? (e.g., appealing to the Union County District Attorney?)

2)What type of legal representation is best suited for handling both public records non-compliance and potential civil claims against a rural service district?

3)Any recommendations for Oregon-based attorneys who handle local government accountability or public entity disputes in Eastern/Northeast Oregon?

Thank you

My husband and I live in a small rural town in Northeast Oregon. We are looking for guidance—and potentially recommendations for an Oregon attorney experienced in municipal law, public records, or civil rights—regarding an incident with our local rural fire department.

A neighbor called in an alleged illegal burn while my husband and I were outside barbecuing. A fire truck pulled up, asked if we had a fire, and we said no. They drove off.Shortly after going inside for dinner, there was a knock at the door. My husband opened it to find the Fire Chief and 6 to 8 individuals standing on our porch/front yard. Only a few had any visible identification or official gear.

They asked again if we had a fire; my husband stated no and asked them to leave our property. Instead of leaving, the Chief threatened to fine us and charge us with "abusing 911" (we never called 911). As they were leaving, one of the individuals began shouting profanities and making severe, defamatory personal attacks against my husband.The entire interaction was recorded on our home security cameras.

Because the individuals lacked proper badges or uniform identification, we submitted formal public records requests to both the Rural Fire Department and the City to obtain dispatch logs, incident reports, and the roster/names of the personnel on scene that night. Both entities have failed or refused to provide the requested records.

​What steps can we take under Oregon Public Records Law when a local fire district or city ignores or delays a records request? (e.g., appealing to the Union County District Attorney?)

What type of legal representation is best suited for handling both public records non-compliance and potential civil claims against a rural service district?

Any recommendations for Oregon-based attorneys who handle local government accountability or public entity disputes in Eastern/Northeast Oregon?

Thank you

Hello I live in Oregon in a small rural town. I made a public records request for an incident that happened with our rural fire department. The city manager had the information that I requested in an envelope for me but unfortunately the city council decided to terminate him. Now the mayor is telling me that she doesn't have the information that I requested. I also did a records request through the rural fire department. What can I do if the city and the fire department isn't giving me my public records request.