Journal Entry 1, March 2024

There is a program for residents to take control of efforts to minimize the risk of wildfire in their community. This journal is my experience of volunteering to start such a group in my neighborhood. This journal is offered as encouragement to others to do the same. You are needed.

But in volunteering to do this, exactly what are we commiting to do. This journal decribes one person’s experience. For official detail about the program contact your local Fire Safe Council.

There is one simple fact that should encourage you to start a wildfire safe community or support those who do. Wildfire safety is a community project. Regardless of what you do to make your property, you, and your loved ones safe from a wildfire, if your community is at risk you are at risk. There is a small additional benefit. If your property is in a wildfire certified safe community you will get a fire insurance discount. It varies from 2 to 10%. Check with your provider to find out your discount.

This is a journal of my experience of volunteering. I will add to it as I get more involved in the program. This is my experience, my memory, and my mistakes. It is not an official step by step guide.

Step 1: It starts by contacting the local Fire Safe Council. I called in the evening and left a message. I got a call back letting me know that I would get an email with instructions for signing up. The instructions came and I was told to fill out an online form as best as I could. At this point there was much that I did not understand in the online form. As instructed, I did the best I could. A few days later Lauren de Terra, Director of Community Engagement, called to thank me for filling out the form and to set up a meeting at the Council office.

Step 2: I met with Lauren de Terra, Ed Perez, and Sarah Thais. They described the program to me. In brief we would do an assessment of wild fire risks in my proposed community. Then based upon what the assessment revealed, we would develop an action plan. Then carry out the action plan. After completing the action plan we would apply for certification. Once we had the certification we can submit for a fire insurance cost reduction. One of the items in the online sign up form asked for the boundaries of the fire safe community I was creating. This is a difficult question for a newbie to the program. With Lauren’s, Ed’s, and Sarah’s guidance we identified the boundaries of my community. I left with some descriptive material and the date of Step 3, The Assessment.

Step 3: The Assessment consisted of Sarah, Ed, and I driving past each property in my designated community area. Sarah and Ed noted fire hazard issues or the lack there of and whether the residence was new or old construction. Two days later I received a copy of the assessment and some recommended mitigation. The documents had errors. I called Ed at the Firewise Council. We worked out most of the errors on the phone and set up a meeting for next week to finalize the assessment and the mitigation plan in person.

As a separate item I have been notified of an optional meeting #2 of the Paradise Firewise USA Leader program next week.

This ends journal entry 1. I will write journal entry 2 once I get certified.

Journal Entry 2

It took 3 months to get me certified. Doing it again it would only be a few days. The process includes documenting some of the recent fire safety improvements and plans for the next three years. Plans need to be approved by a state level supervisor inorder to become certified. I complicated the documenting of the proposed plans by insisting we include businesses and a RV park in my community. No one locally had experience doing this. We do now.

My community are the properties between Clark and Newland and between Pearson and Nunneley. It makes a nice square.

Now for the next hurtle. I need to get in touch with the property owners (97) and explain what I have done and what it means to them. The explanation is easy. I have a certification document that identifies they are in a FireWise USA community and are entitled to a wild fire insurance deduction. I need to get that to them so they can send it to their insurance company. I need to let them know I have no role in any enforcement. I will however, be sending them literature abour free services that they have access to, that will help reduce the risk of a wild file. Actually, pretty cool, isn’t it.

And now for the catch. Getting in touch with them and getting names, addresses (physical and email), and perhaps phone numbers. Does anyone have a suggestion?

And Now the Whole Reason for Writing This!

The wild fire risk still exists. We are incredably better off than at any time in the past. But the risk could easily be lower. This program can make it lower. The wild fire risk is a community risk. Only the community acting as a whole can adequately counter that risk. The town ordances can help. They are an important part of the solution but only a part. Our future may very well depend on you picking up the phone and calling the Paradise Ridge Fire Safe Council and telling Lauren de Terra you want to volunteer to become a FireWise USA community leader. The number is (530) 877-0984.

If you want further information, or just want to talk about it call me 530 521 5006 or email wayne@complexs.com.