The California Fire Alliance

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The CaliforniaFire Alliance
2
History

• 2000s Cerro Grande escaped prescribed fire near
  Los Alamos in New Mexico, and multiple
  destructive wildfires throughout the West
  demonstrated to the public, elected officials,
  agency administrators and fire managers that
• protection of natural and man-made resources
  requires joint effort by all agencies and fire
  programs
• a well-rounded interagency approach to fire
  management is needed to meet the public's
  perception of adequate fire protection

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History

• The President called for an Action Plan by the
  U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior,
  to
• address the current wildland fire situation
• develop a strategy with recommendations to
  minimize the short and long term impacts from
  wildfires
• The National Fire Plan outlined a comprehensive
  strategy with funding that began in Federal
  Fiscal Year 2001.

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History

• The California Fire Alliance (CFA) has been in
  existence for more than four years, but the
  National Fire Plan provided a resurgence and
  expansion of the CFA.
• The Alliance consists of two levels of
  organization
• The Leadership Group - Directors or Agency
  Administrators from participating agencies and
  groups
• The Staff Team - Primary staff from participating
  agencies who develop recommendations for the
  Leadership Group

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Our Mission

• The California Fire Alliance is a cooperative
  membership organization that provides a model
  solution for National Fire Plan implementation,
  and is dedicated to ensuring that pre-fire
  management
• provides for public and community safety
• minimizes costs and losses from wildfire
• maintains and improves the quality of the
  environment

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Who We Are

• The California Fire Alliance is an interagency
  forum in which local, tribal, state and federal
  agencies coordinate efforts to help
• prepare for wildland firefighting
  (pre-suppression activities)
• assist local communities in reducing wildfire
  risk
• increase awareness of the need for local action

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Who We Are

• The Alliance currently consists of the following
  members
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Bureau of Land Management
• Cal. Dept. of Forestry Fire Protection
• Fire Safe Council
• Governors Office of Emergency Services
• L.A. County Fire Department
• National Park Service
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S.D.A. Forest Service

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Goals and Strategies

• The Alliance assists communities in development
  of fire loss mitigation projects that reduce the
  threat of wildfire losses on public private
  lands, by
• facilitating community interaction with subject
  matter experts
• promoting the use of member planning resources
  and tools as they are available
• assisting communities in accessing appropriate
  project planning data and resources
• providing on-site expertise and oversight during
  project implementation

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Accomplishments Since 2001

• Charter
• Communities at Risk
• Resource Guide
• Grant Writing Workshops Statewide
• Fire Alliance Web Site www.cafirealliance.org
• One Stop Shopping Initiative
• FireWise Workshops
• Key Contact List
• Wildfire Awareness Week
• Print radio PSAs
• News Release

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Challenges

• Californias wildfire management challenge has
  been 100 years in the making
• Growth and development requires increased fire
  protection
• Creating a catastrophic buildup of wildfire fuels
• Increased risk of catastrophic wildfire and
  severe damage to communities and natural
  resources
• Compounded by dramatic influx of people, homes
  and communities into the wildland-urban interface
  (WUI)

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Challenges

• Success in addressing the wildfire management
  issue demands a cooperative, integrated effort
  that moves beyond jurisdictional boundaries and
  embraces local communities at risk.

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Challenges

• Scope of problem exceeds the ability of any one
  agency, state, federal, or local, to address on a
  comprehensive basis, yet heavily relies on local
  actions by agencies and communities.

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National Fire Plan

• The National Fire Plan outlines a comprehensive
  strategy for funding in five areas
  Firefighting - To continue to fight the fires
  for the rest of this fire season and be
  adequately prepared for next year.
  Rehabilitation and Restoration - To restore
  landscapes and rebuild communities damaged by
  wildfires of 2000. Hazardous Fuel Reduction -
  To invest in projects to reduce fire risk.
  Community Assistance - To work directly with
  communities to ensure adequate protection.
  Accountability - To be accountable and
  establish adequate oversight, coordination,
  program development, and monitoring for
  performance.

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National Fire Plan

• The intent of the Community Assistance initiative
  is to provide communities interfacing with
  federal lands an opportunity to get technical
  assistance and funding to reduce the threat of
  wildfires.

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National Fire Plan

• The National Fire Plan directed federal agencies
  to "work directly with communities to ensure
  adequate protection from wildfires, and to
  develop a collaborative effort to attain the
  desired future condition of the land."
• Key wildland fire management agencies in
  California have chosen to accomplish this effort
  through the California Fire Alliance.

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NFP Accomplishments

• Alliance member agencies have a proven track
  record of National Fire Plan accomplishments at
  the state and community level.

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Community Assistance Grants Program
Fuel Reduction Accomplishes community fire safety
goals using all resources of community
Education Prepares community for change --
Influences attitude/actions
Capacity Creates community-based structure for
lasting change
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State Fire Safe Council

• FSC Web Site www.firesafecouncil.org
• Premier Internet resource for community fire
  prevention education in California
• Local FSCs share materials best practices
• Map of Communities-at-Risk
• Priority FSC-related legislative updates
• Local FSC pages

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State Fire Safe Council

• FSC Web Site www.firesafecouncil.org
• Results
• Over 960,000 hits since October 2001

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State Fire Safe Council

• Wildfire Awareness Week 2002
• Public education campaign to encourage defensible
  space clearance
• Media relations, radio PSAs and community events
• Community preparedness kits distributed at events
  door to door
• FSC Homeowners Checklist
• Wildfire Survival Checklist
• Magnets depicting 30-100 of
• defensible space

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State Fire Safe Council

• Results
• 30.4 million audience impressions statewide
• 45 local FSCs distributed kits in their
  communities
• 4,000 kits with 15,000 fire safe handouts
• Educational displays at 15 community events
  statewide

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Supporting the California Fire Alliance

• At the state, regional and federal levels,
  support funding initiatives that further pre-fire
  activities
• At the local level, contact your community Fire
  Safe Council for wildfire prevention information

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Looking Ahead

• The California Fire Alliance will continue to
• influence the direction of community protection
• provide leadership in the protection of
  communities at risk
• demonstrate to the agencies the importance of
  continued participation for a Fire Safe
  California
• support the need for continued/sustained funding
  for Fire Safe Projects

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• NOTE TO ALLIANCE MEMBERS
• Please use the following slides at your
  discretion, and please add new slides as
  appropriate

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California Codes Benchmark Legislation

• Defensible Space Standards
• 30-100 Vegetation Clearance Around Structures
• Tree Trimming
• Roof Clearing
• Chimney Screens
  
• Fire Safe Landscaping Recommended
  
  (Public Resources Code Section 4291, Government
  Code Section 51182 LRA, Uniform Fire Code
  Appendix IIA, IFCI Urban Wildland Interface Code,
  Model Ord. for
  Defensibility of Space and Structures)

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California Codes Benchmark Legislation

• State Responsibility Area (SRA) Fire Safe
  Regulations
• Statute Public Resources Code Section 4290
• Regulations Title 14-CCR Sections 1270-1276.03
• Road Standards for Fire Equipment Access
  
• Standards for Signs Identifying Streets, Roads
  and Buildings
• Minimum Private Water Supply Reserves for
  Emergency Fire Use
• Fuel Breaks and Greenbelts
• These regulations do not supersede local
  regulations which equal or exceed minimum state
  regulations

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Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council

• Living with Wildfire in the Inland Empire
• Distribution channels
• The San Bernardino Sun, Mountain News, Alpenhorn
  Crestline Courier
• Local fairs, picnics and public events
• Local schools (this fall)
• Council meetings, Rotary and chamber meetings
  (this fall)
• Final distribution to be completed in
  Spring/Summer of 2003
• 132,000 homes within the project areas and beyond

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FSCNC Senior Assistance Program

• The FSCNC provides brush clearing for low income
  seniors
• All projects are documented through before and
  after photos

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Dorothy Mueller, 15472 Greenhorn Road, Grass
Valley, CA 95945 BEFORE
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Dorothy Mueller, 15472 Greenhorn Road, Grass
Valley, CA 95945 AFTER
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Concerned Resource Environmental Workers
(C.R.E.W.)

• Program overview
• Low-income youth
• Community wild fire prevention
• Collaborations with UFS, BLM, local government,
  CBOs and private foundations and area high
  schools
• At risk communities
• Meiners Oaks and Ojai
• The Frazier Mountain

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C.R.E.W.

• Results
• 12 miles (450 acres) of fuelbreak completed
• Average 2 tons of biomass reutilization per
  Saturday
• 14 tons distributed since April 2002
• 10-26 youth employed per weekend