The Fire Safe Nevada County Coalition (Fire Safe Coalition), a new volunteer-driven organization, officially started last month but is already “springing” into action! Even before our launch, the Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities (Coalition) we developed from, was doing a lot.
Partnerships are important and we are starting to coordinate with CAL FIRE, OES, local fire districts, the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District and others. Besides holding monthly or quarterly educational meetings, hosting a website and sending informational emails, the steering committee and members have been mentoring many Firewise Community Leaders. The Fire Safe Coalition has taken all of this on, but is doing a lot more to help FWCs. All of the activity below has been planned, organized and implemented by volunteer FWC leaders.
Firewise Leader Mentoring Program
Are you a FWC leader? We’re here to help! We’ve launched a formal Firewise Leader mentoring program, so new leaders can ask for help from an experienced leader. We’ve already paired up six new Firewise Leaders with mentors. Mentors are helping with all kinds of things, from starting a FWC, to organizing a green waste event or developing a FWC hydrant (standpipe) network.
This last weekend, Haley Cooperguard who is looking to form a new FWC, got advice on forming a community and organizing events. She learned by participating in a green waste event at the Banner Mountain FWC. According to Haley, “It was great to get advice on starting up a FWC in my neighborhood, from recommendations on setting up different communications to tips and tricks for preparing events for my community”. One of her mentors, Mo Graber, shared how she gathers fire preparedness materials to pass out, coordinates volunteers to get the bins the most full, and the importance of food and snacks for enticing volunteers! Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, another mentor, gave Haley different ideas for getting neighbors together for an initial meeting. “You can always start by getting people together for a neighborhood barbeque to discuss homeowner’s fire insurance”, Jo Ann suggested.
Randall Strossen of Harmony Firewise Community is mentoring FWCs that want to hook up a swimming pool or pond to a dry hydrant to provide a water source for firefighters in Nevada County neighborhoods where hydrants are scarce. Last year, Randall and Harmony FWC leader Terry Hastings worked with the fire district and a neighbor who volunteered his 32,000-gallon swimming pool as water source for their dry hydrant. Randall believes this can be an important and relatively inexpensive undertaking for FWCs that have few fire hydrants in their neighborhoods.
Website featuring Learning Center with Resources Developed by Local FWC Leaders
The new website includes a Learning Center for wildfire preparedness for everyone in the community. What sets this website apart from others is that it includes resources developed by local FWC leaders. The Learning Center helps people understand wildfire behavior, learn how to create defensible space or harden their home, prepare for evacuation, and much more. The information comes from a variety of key sources including CAL FIRE, OES, and NFPA Firewise USA.
Some of the most useful resources come from FWC leaders, prepared for education in their FWC. These are ready to go for use by other leaders! “Home hardening Priorities and Resources” by Kristen Cook, is an excellent example. It is a short, to the point presentation on several of the most important changes you can make now to harden your home. The theme is “Embers are the Enemy”!
Susan Rogers, another FWC leader, has a great “How I Changed My House Vents to 1/8” Screen”—a DIY project on the Home Hardening Page. This is one of THE most important, low-cost ways to instantly increase the chances of your home weathering a firestorm of embers!
Leaders Toolbox
The Leader’s Toolbox is a unique feature of the Fire Safe Coalition. It contains “How to” guides for everything from how to start a FWC to completing the assessments, action plans and annual reporting to conducting a successful community event. Many of these were developed by Dario Davidson, who is not only the long-time Lower Colfax FWC leader, he is also a retired forester and has conducted over 75 of the Fire Hazard and Risk Assessments each FWC needs to get started!
Implementing An Action Plan is very useful for FWCs or anyone looking to clear defensible space or reduce fuels. In his How to Plan a Successful Fuel Treatment Program Dario explains step by step what the different fuels are that need to be removed and how to do it, such as thinning and pruning small trees.
These are works in progress and if you have an idea to make them better, another one that would be useful, or one of your own to share—let us know!
So Much to Do! What Should I Choose to Do Now? Education Ready to Go
Spring into Action Campaign & Newsletter
There is so much to do to prepare for wildfire season! To help make it less overwhelming, we’ve started our quarterly priority action campaign. “Spring into Action” has actions and ideas to focus on now. Developed by Kristen Cook, FWC leader and former marketing wizard, her message is “It may still feel damp, but the Sierra Nevada sun will dry things out fast. Spring is the perfect time to get ahead of wildfire season. Focus on these top priorities now – before it’s hot, dry, and risky.”
We’ll highlight these actions and ideas in our newsletters, quarterly meetings, and educational flyers we are making for use by FWC leaders in their community. Sign up for our newsletter in the Spotlight Section
Attend a Workshop: How to Start a FWC, How to Pile Burn Safely, Spring Into Action Quarterly Meeting, How to Write a FWC Hazard and Risk Assessment or Action Plan
Most of us learn the best by “doing”. Attend one of our upcoming hands-on workshops !
April 26th How to Pile Burn Safely, led by Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman in the Round Mountain FWC.
Escaped burn piles are a problem in our community! Pile burning is an excellent way to get rid of fuels you have cleared from your defensible space, especially if you don’t have green waste dumpsters near you. Learn how to do it properly and have NO ESCAPES or trouble with your neighbors, CAL FIRE or the local fire districts.
April 28th How to Start a Firewise Community, featuring a panel of experienced FWC leaders.
Want to hear the basic steps to forming a FWC? You’ll hear from a panel of experienced FWC leaders on the overall process. From talking to the neighbors, to drawing the boundaries, forming a committee and what information you need to submit to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firewise USA Program.
May 6th Fire Safe Nevada County Coalition Quarterly Meeting: Spring into Action
The Fire Safe Coalition is carrying on the popular quarterly meetings for FWC leaders and members. This meeting focuses on the Spring into Action priorities. Steve Hawks at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety and CALFire will make a presentation on the importance of the 0-5’ ignition free zone. Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman and others will make a presentation on the best ways to make your evacuation routes safer, especially removing roadside fuels.
May 10th How to Write a Firewise USA Required Risk Assessment & Action Plan, led by Dario Davidson
These documents are required to get recognized by Firewise USA. This is not only critical for helping to organize communities to make themselves safer but also because Firewise USA recognition gets homeowners discounts on wildfire insurance. We all need that!
Come Join Us! Volunteer, Intern, Join the Fire Adapted Youth Corps
Emails are pouring in with requests for information or help. If you want to volunteer, sign up. There is plenty of need and work to go around!
We are starting two volunteer programs aimed at involving local youth in wildfire preparedness. We are in the early stages but the plan is to work with other community organizations such as Bright Futures, high schools, the Resource Conservation District and others. You may be asking why the name Fire Adapted Youth Corps and not Firewise Youth Corps? Firewise is the first step. Fire Adapted is where we want to be where we are fully ready to live with fire and not be negatively adapted. That is our future and the youth are our future!
The vision of the Fire Adapted Youth Corps is modeled after the Americorps. Many FWCs have benefited from their help on projects. Young people can get so much more done! We plan on recruiting and providing basic training for responsible youth and young adults so they can help FWC members with defensible space work they are unable to do or afford themselves.
We envision many different opportunities for interns from the local high schools, Sierra College or any talented community members to work with us on a variety of areas from social media to graphics or working with people in the office.
Join us! Neighbors helping Neighbors. Firewise Communities helping Firewise Communities.
We are doing a lot just with volunteers. Our aim is to stay that way. We intend to be able to hire a streamlined staff of a volunteer coordinator, bookkeeper and eventually a manager. But this machine is built for volunteer power. Whether you are a pro at organizing events or just stacking chairs, we could use help. We are neighbors helping neighbors. Firewise Communities helping Firewise Communities. Join us! Be a volunteer!