The California Fire Safe Council’s Fire Safe Communities Program works to prevent community ignition through time-tested preparedness and mitigation activities.
Creating Defensible Space & Hardening Homes
Defensible space and home hardening help to slow fire spread and lower ignition risk, as well as make homes more wildfire resilient, protecting against embers and direct flames.
Mobilizing Community Fuels Mitigation
CFSC supports neighborhood fuel clean-up efforts, as well as seasonal fire breaks and green spaces, which slow wildfire spread and aid firefighter response.
Boosting Forest Health & Landscape Resilience
We support forest and landscape management projects that restore ecosystem health and reduce long-term wildfire risk to communities.
ENGAGING & EDUCATING
We lead outreach and engagement campaigns to educate and empower communities on wildfire preparedness. These materials often serve as a starting point for local engagement and action.
Building Local Capacity
CFSC supports 300+ local Fire Safe Councils with tools, funding, resources, and technical assistance to help them carry out wildfire mitigation and preparedness work.
PLANNING FOR EVACUATION
CFSC helps communities create evacuation plans, ensure clear exit routes, post signage, and educate residents on how to evacuate safely and quickly.
ACTIVE GRANTS
CAL FIRE
FIRE SAFE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM: RESILIENCY-BOLSTERING ACTIVITIES
Creating Defensible space
Defensible space creates a buffer zone around a home to halt or stall the spread of fire and reduce the likelihood that a home will ignite. Based on cutting-edge research and California codes, CFSC encourages homeowners to focus on the first 100 concentric feet away from their home in three zones: Zone 0 is 0 – 5 feet from the home and is the most important area to clear of flammable materials and objects; Zone 1 is 6 – 30 feet and should be kept lean, green, and clean; Zone 2 is 31 – 100 feet in which homeowners should remove as much dry, brittle vegetation as possible as well as flammable materials and objects. Building more vibrant, climate-resilient communities starts in every resident’s own backyard. Through our network of Fire Safe Councils and other wildfire mitigation partners, we support at-risk and vulnerable communities in defensible space projects.
Hardening Homes
Homeowners can retrofit their homes so that they are more wildfire resilient – protected from both embers and direct flame spread. This includes installation of ember-resistant vents and roofing, replacing single-pane windows with double, enclosing eaves, replacing decks with non-flammable materials, and adding ember-resistant mesh around deck enclosures, among other changes. Ember entry into the home is one of the most common causes of ignition, and home hardening activities can keep dangerous embers out. And since fire can spread between neighboring homes, home hardening is most effective when a whole community participates. CFSC is launching innovative pilot programs to educate communities and provide resources to fund retrofits in low-income, high-risk areas.
Mobilizing Community Fuels Mitigation
Through our network of Fire Safe Councils and other wildfire mitigation partners, we support neighborhood brush and tree clean-up programs. This could look like an organized chipper day where large mastication machines are brought in for community members to bring their dry brush and yard waste. In addition, we support seasonal community fire breaks or green spaces that help stop fire in its tracks and provide staging areas for firefighters to take their stand.
Boosting Forest Health & Landscape Resilience
Through our network of Fire Safe Councils and other wildfire mitigation partners, we support forest and landscape management projects meant to restore ecosystems to health, and in the long run, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire entering communities. These projects can have positive impacts on water and air quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
