diff --git a/sys/dev/ofisa/ess_ofisa.c b/sys/dev/ofisa/ess_ofisa.c
index 96bdbc9df62c..6ca117d42341 100644
--- a/sys/dev/ofisa/ess_ofisa.c
+++ b/sys/dev/ofisa/ess_ofisa.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	$NetBSD: ess_ofisa.c,v 1.25 2010/05/22 16:35:00 tsutsui Exp $	*/
+/*	$NetBSD: ess_ofisa.c,v 1.26 2016/12/09 16:22:09 christos Exp $	*/
 
 /*-
  * Copyright (c) 1998 The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <sys/cdefs.h>
-__KERNEL_RCSID(0, "$NetBSD: ess_ofisa.c,v 1.25 2010/05/22 16:35:00 tsutsui Exp $");
+__KERNEL_RCSID(0, "$NetBSD: ess_ofisa.c,v 1.26 2016/12/09 16:22:09 christos Exp $");
 
 #include <sys/param.h>
 #include <sys/systm.h>
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ ess_ofisa_attach(device_t parent, device_t self, void *aux)
 	struct ofisa_intr_desc intr[2];
 	struct ofisa_dma_desc dma[2];
 	int n, ndrq;
-	char *model;
 
 	sc->sc_dev = self;
 
@@ -164,7 +163,9 @@ ess_ofisa_attach(device_t parent, device_t self, void *aux)
 
 	n = OF_getproplen(aa->oba.oba_phandle, "model");
 	if (n > 0) {
-		model = alloca(n);
+		char model[256];
+		if (n > 256)
+			n = 256;
 		if (OF_getprop(aa->oba.oba_phandle, "model", model, n) == n) {
 			aprint_normal(": %s\n", model);
 			aprint_normal_dev(self, "");