Fire safe councils are grassroots community-based organizations in California that share the objective of making communities less vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire. Fire safe councils accomplish this objective through education programs and projects such as shaded fuel breaks or firebreaks to protect area residents against an oncoming wildfire and to provide firefighters with a place to fight the oncoming fire. The first fire safe councils started in the early 1990s, and there are now over 100 around the state.
The California Fire Safe Council, Inc. (CFSCI) was incorporated in mid-2002 with the primary role of operating the Fire Safe California Grants Clearinghouse. The grassroots fire safe councils are referred to as "local fire safe councils" (FSCs) to distinguish them from the CFSCI.
Local fire safe councils usually include representatives from:
The fire agency and local government representatives may be members of the FSC, or may serve in an advisory capacity, depending on local needs.
All local fire safe councils are independent entities. Some are organized as non-profit and/or tax-exempt corporations; others operate under a memorandum of understanding with a county, city, and/or local fire protection district; some have no formal structure at all.
Fire safe councils vary in focus. Some are county-wide, while others comprise only the Homeowner's Association in a subdivision, to all sizes in between. There are also several regional associations of fire safe councils.
While some fire safe councils have paid staff, such as an Executive Director, and may have grant funding for fuel reduction projects, all FSCs rely heavily on volunteers for much of their work.
The community-based approach to reducing wildfire risk is being implemented in other locations in the United States. An example is FireSafe Montana. Firewise USA Communities are also community-based organizations focused on wildfire mitigation throughout the United States, including California.
The Operation Fire Safe wildfire prevention program was begun in 1968[1] by the State of California Resources Agency, Department of Conservation, Division of Forestry, (CDF or CAL FIRE) in response to changing wildfire conditions resulting from more and more homes being built in rural areas that were formerly wildland. The term wildland–urban interface (WUI) is used to describe this area.
Next, the Fire Safe! Inside and Out wildfire prevention campaign was developed in 1989 by Loren Poore, Chief of Fire Prevention with CDF.[2] This program created materials, including a video, a brochure, and other items, to educate homeowners about implementing fire safe practices inside and outside the home. Defensible space began to become the catchword for protecting homes and wildlands in the WUI. At this time, most wildfire safety education was conducted by members of the CDF Volunteers in Prevention (VIP) program.[3]
The Oakland firestorm of 1991 provided a new incentive to increase wildfire prevention education and activities, and CDF formed the Fire Safe Advisory Council, AKA the Fire Safe Council, which included insurance industry representatives, wildland firefighting agencies (such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)), private industry, and the public.
In the early 1990s, three organizations were formed that were precursors of what eventually became known as local, community-based Fire Safe Councils:
Preceding The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, Inc. was a working group called the 49er Fire Safe Group (local citizens and Agency Partners taking action after the 49er fire in Nevada County in 1988) was being supported by the local Resource Conservation District, grew into the county-wide organization that exists today. The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, Inc. began its official formation in January 1998, under the leadership of CDF Battalion Chief Kate Dargan. Chief Dargan is also a founding member at The California Fire Safe Council, and in October of 2021, she was appointed Assistant Director for Disaster Preparedness and Response to the White House Climate and Environment Team.
In support of the community-based efforts, CDF began including these local groups in its Fire Safe Council. The coalition was headed by the CDF Public Education Officer.[6] Sometime after 1996, as more and more communities started local Fire Safe Councils throughout the state, the Fire Safe Council became known as the California Fire Safe Council (CFSC). The CFSC was a precursor of the current California Fire Safe Council, Inc. (CFSCI).
Through the CFSC, CDF assisted local fire safe councils via monthly meetings where local fire safe councils, and other organizations sharing the fire safe mission, could network; marketing literature such as a brochure; development of videos and Public Service Announcements; a handbook on how to form a Fire Safe Council; and other materials. Marketing support was provided under a contract with the public relations firm Manning Selvage & Lee, which had an office on K Street in Sacramento at the time.
This overall support from CDF ceased when the California Fire Safe Council, Inc. was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in mid-2002. However, most individual CDF/CAL FIRE Units continue to work closely with their local area fire safe councils, often providing "in-kind" matching funds for grants as well as advice on fire safe projects.
With active support from CDF and its California Fire Safe Council coalition, more and more communities began forming local Fire Safe Councils. Expansion of the program accelerated after the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County (FSCNC) received a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) grant in 1998. One of the conditions of the WUI grant was that the Executive Director of the FSCNC takes an active role in assisting other communities to form Fire Safe Councils and aids in their success. FSCNC staff, at all levels, continue to offer support and/or mentorship to any fire safe council that inquires.
Now, over 100 local Fire Safe Councils are active in California alone, with more forming all the time.
Prior to the incorporation of the CFSCI, the California Fire Safe Council was the primary means of networking for local FSCs. After incorporation, the CFSCI continued to host the monthly meetings for local FSCs until November 2006, when budget constraints would no longer allow for the expense.
In California, Federal funding is administered by the California Fire Safe Council, Inc. (CFSCI) which operates the Fire Safe California Grants Clearinghouse AKA Grants Clearinghouse. Funding is provided to the Grants Clearinghouse by the US Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. (Note that these agencies, notably the USFS, may have other grant funding streams that do not go through the Clearinghouse.)
Beginning in 2001, Title II and Title III funds from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act of 2000 (AKA "HR 2389") were another source of funds for FSCs in Counties that qualify for HR 2389 payments, especially for staff, operations, and education projects, as funds from the Grants Clearinghouse are generally not available for these functions. These funds are paid to Counties, and it was up to the Counties to decide how they are used. In the past, many Counties used at least a portion of the funds for fire safe activities.
State funding varies from year to year as programs come and go. Check with your CAL FIRE Unit or County Resource Conservation District or current information.
All of the State and Federal funding sources described in this section require matching funds, either in the form of cash or "in-kind", such as labor, materials, vehicles, etc. While not a formal program, most CAL FIRE units provide financial assistance to their local fire safe councils in the form of "in-kind" matching funds for grants.
Other sources of funds for fire safe councils are donations from the community, membership dues, grants from sources other than listed here, and funding from their county and/or city government. In addition, a percentage for administration is usually a component of any grants received, although these funds are restricted in that they can only be used on activities associated with the particular grant and must be accounted for to the funding agency.
This section is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to give a few examples of what has been accomplished by fire safe councils over the years. Most of these projects were funded by grants.
Many fire safe councils operate a program that assists people with special needs, such as seniors, low-income, and disabled persons, to create and maintain the defensible space around their homes. Some examples are:
One difficulty homeowners have with creating and maintaining defensible space is what to do with the vegetation once it is removed. To help with this, many fire safe councils provide free access to a chipper. An example is the Kern River Valley Fire Safe Council Chipper Days.
The purpose of these programs is to educate homeowners about creating adequate defensible space and advice for home hardening modifications to reduce the risk of structure loss in a wildfire. These are also called "dooryard visits" by some fire safe councils. These volunteers are trained by their local CAL FIRE Unit or their local Fire Protection District.
For example, the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County has a Defensible Space Advisory Visit service. Visits are free, and anonymous to allow residents the comfort to ask all the questions they need to ask. Advisors assist the resident to build a customized action plan for risk reduction or improvements that can be made.
While defensible space protects homes from wildfire, firebreaks, also called fuel breaks, protect communities. These may also be referred to as "shaded fuel breaks". Fuel breaks are usually linear. The US Forest Service also uses the Strategically Placed Area Treatment (SPLAT) concept. SPLATs may be any shape. Many fuel breaks have been created by fire safe councils, using grant funding. One example is the Eastern Madera County Fire Safe Council Crooks Mountain Fuel Break.
The Federal funding sources described in the section on Funding either require that projects be part of an approved Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), or give preference to such projects. In response, many FSCs have taken a proactive role in getting these plans developed and approved, even though this responsibility really resides with local government.
Many fire safe councils, as well as individual contributors, have received recognition of their efforts to improve the ability for California's communities to survive a wildfire. Since it is impossible to list all of these, the following examples are offered in honor of all who have contributed to this important effort.
Numerous national recognition has been awarded since 2005.
There have been numerous other awards and recognition since 2007.
For a list of current fire safe councils in California see the "Fire Safe Councils" link on the California Fire Safe Council site.
As described earlier in this article, initially fire safe councils throughout the state, with support from CDF staff and other organizations that shared the fire safe mission, comprising the California Fire Safe Council (CFSC).
However, with the incorporation of the California Fire Safe Council, Inc. (CFSCI) in mid-2002, the old inclusive CFSC disappeared and was replaced by a non-membership 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. The CFSCI Board of Directors and its staff comprise the CFSCI. Local fire safe councils are no longer members and have minimal impact on, or knowledge of, decisions made by the CFSCI. The CFSCI is simply one more entity among the over 100 independent organizations that focus on wildfire safety throughout the state of California. It has a somewhat different function from local FSCs in that its primary role is to administer the Grants Clearinghouse.
Like fire safe councils, the Firewise USA program is designed to reach beyond the fire service by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, and others in the effort to protect people, property, and natural resources from the risk of wildland fire - before a fire starts. Fire safe councils and Firewise USA both emphasize community responsibility for planning in the design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response, and individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping, and maintenance.
The Firewise USA program is intended to serve as a resource for agencies, tribes, organizations, fire departments, and communities across the U.S. who are working toward a common goal: reduce loss of lives, property, and resources to wildland fire by building and maintaining communities in a way that is compatible with our natural surroundings. It differs from fire safe councils in that the Firewise program is nationwide while fire safe councils are mainly in California.
The two approaches to motivating community members to take responsibility for preparing their communities to be better able to survive a wildfire are very compatible. The major difference between the two methods is that to be certified by Firewise USA, the entire community must be involved, including financially, whereas fire safe councils, especially those that are 501(c)(3) organizations, can operate with a much smaller level of individual participation. Also, fire safe councils often implement projects which go beyond a single community, such as shaded fuel breaks.
The Firewise USA communities in California are often chapters of a county-wide fire safe council, but they also function independently if that best serves the community.
Firewise USA offers a wide range of resources including printed materials as well as courses.