Nationally, reducing wildfires has touched all levels of government, from local citizens’ groups, cities, counties, state & federal agencies, Congress, and even the President.
After the dramatic 2000 wildfire season, then-President Clinton directed the
Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to develop a plan to address the
wildland fire and hazardous fuels situation, as well as the need for habitat
restoration and rehabilitation across the nation.
Congress directed the federal agencies to develop the Ten-Year Comprehensive
Strategy for Reducing Wildland Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment.
The Ten-Year Comprehensive Strategy, finalized in August 2001, included
four primary goals:
• Improve Fire Prevention and Suppression.
• Reduce Hazardous Fuels.
• Restore Fire Adapted Ecosystems.
• Promote Community Assistance.
The last six years have also seen a new focus on the wildland urban interface
(WUI), the zone where structures and other human development meet at-risk
forest and rangelands. Federal land management agencies have invested more
than 60 percent of fuels treatment dollars in the WUI.
More at “Updated 10-year Plan”: http://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/
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California
In California, the California Fire Safe Council is focused on mobilizing Californians
to protect their homes, communities and environments from wildfire.
The goal is to reduce the overall costs and losses from wildfire in California.
Fire Safe Councils throughout California are playing an integral role helping
the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) meet this
goal.
Grants
In California, agencies have pooled their National Fire Plan (http://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/)
funding into a one-stop shop to simplify the process of finding and applying
for grants. This one-stop shop is located on the internet and hosted by the
California Fire Safe Council (FSC) (http://www.grants.firesafecouncil.org/).
Locally
Locally, there are three Altadena Fire Councils: The Meadows, Chaney Millard
and LaVina.
They are designing action plans to help protect our communities. However,
only with the help of our homeowners will these plans succeed.
General Goals for Chaney Millard Fire Safe Council
Chaney Millard is an urban interface community of 219 acres that is surrounded
by National Forest land. Extremely hazardous fuels conditions persist on all
of the Forest Service lands bordering Chaney Millard, posing an immediate
and critical threat to the community. The Chaney Millard Fire Council (CMFSC)
has identified 127 acres for "Other Treatment" and 92 acres for
Mechanical Treatment for a total of 219 acres.
Strategic areas have been identified within the CMFSC with the assistance
of J. Lopez, Deputy Forester, County of Los Angeles Fire Department. Large,
privately owned, undeveloped land parcels interface with the residential community.
These areas have heavy native chaparral, which has died and increased the
fire hazard to the residences within the CMFSC.
Priorities
Four elements provide for the potential of a large devastating wild fire in
Millard Canyon. These are: 1) the steep fire-prone topography of the canyon,
2) annual hot, dry Santa Ana winds, 3) dense, overgrown chaparral that has
not burned in over 100 years, and 4) canyon visitors are generally unaware
or under educated about wild land fires.
The following recommendations prioritize the fuels treatment project within
the Chaney Millard community:
1. Reduce the potential for fire propagation from the northeast (prevailing
Santa Ana wind direction and direction of previous fires in this area) by
eliminating dead chaparral in the Chiquita Canyon ravine (SummerKids camp/Grech/Zorthian
properties) and thinning living chaparral vertically and horizontally, thus
reducing the propagation of fire to trees.
2. Continue the reduction of hillside chaparral and replace with less flammable
landscaping materials to stabilize steep hillsides.
3. Thin or remove eucalyptus trees that provide a fire propagation pathway
from the south into the CMFSC.
4. Thin or remove overhanging trees along Chaney Trail, Alzada Road, and Jaxine
that obstruct traffic and fire equipment ingress/egress.
More information can be found at:
http://www.fire.ca.gov/
http://www.cafirealliance.org/
Who is your local fire safe council?
Board Members: Alice Wessen, Mary McGilvary, Susan Dimotakis, Cici Koenig,
Irmi Maunu-Kocian
**Board Members at large: Nancy and Bruce Steele, Eric MacCalla
FSC Advisors: J. Lopez, Cathy Brooke
What happened so far?
Requests for fire safety assessments were completed by J. Lopez, who was accompanied
by board members. Board members took notes of his professional recommendations.
Based on the recommendations, a 'Request for Proposals' was submitted to bonded,
insured, certified vendors.
Environmental Compliance Studies have been completed and the guidelines will
be followed.
What are the next steps?
A final walk-through of board members and J. Lopez with the vendors will trigger
written estimates. Fire Safe Council will convene and determine which work
will be funded by the grant with the monies available. Priority is given to
access-egress parcels, high fuel areas.
I did not participate in the assessment, can I still have grant funded
fuel reduction work done on my property?
Unfortunately, you will have to wait for the next grant, approved for distribution
in 2010. Please make sure that you participate in the next round of assessments.
Which properties will benefit from grant funded fuel reduction?
The decision is made by the board members under guidance of J. Lopez and Cathy Brooks. Criteria are: access-egress, high fuel areas, potential fire paths.
I am not part of the grant funded fire reduction work. Can I still
benefit?
The vendor(s) winning the bid will offer discounted tree & fuel reduction work to all neighbors. The discount is triggered by the fact that all necessary machinery will be in the neighborhood already.
Can I be reimbursed for tree work I have already paid for?
Grant funded tree work has to be board approved.
What about the quality of the tree work?
The vendor will be advised by a certified arborist.
What can I do to help?
Please keep all receipts of tree and fuel reduction work, construction you
have initiated or completed to make your home more fire safe. All monies spent
in the area of the Chaney Millard Fire Safe Council can be used for matching
funds and are a much needed indication of neighborhood participation.
Can I contact the California Fire Safe Council directly?
Please direct your questions to the CMFSC board members.