Fire Preparedness
Fire preparedness starts at the home with home hardening and defensible space. The next steps are ensuring you and your family know an evacuation plan, have a 'go bag' ready and know your crop or livestock needs during an emergency. Fire preparedness doesn't stop there. Forests, open spaces and other wildlands need to be prepared as well.
Prepare for Wildfire: Ready, Set, GO! by CALFIRE - Great Resources for home hardening, evacuations plans, 'go' bag' checklists, and defensible space to do lists. It has an app that can allow you to get alerts and tips throughout the year.
Sign up for Nixel Alerts: Alerts you through text, call or email when your home is within an evacuation zone during an emergency.
Homeowners
Landowners
Crop and Livestock Owners
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Homeowners
Home hardening: actions taken to make your home or buildings be more fire adapted and give them a better chance at survival. These actions do not make your house or buildings fireproof, but can help withstand radiant heat, direct fire and ember cast during wildfire situations.
Home Hardening Resources
Wildfire Guidance for Home and Business Owners
National Fire Protection Association - Firewise USA
Defensible Space: the area surrounding a structure where plants and other landscape elements are maintained to decrease fire hazard, and allow fire fighters to make a stand, addressing embers and spot fires before they grow.
Defensible Space Resources
UCCE Sonoma Master Gardener's Firewise Landscaping Video
UCCE Sonoma Master Gardener's Firewise Landscaping
Defensible Space Exemption Permits
Flowchart for Determining which CALFIRE Permit to use
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Landowners
Vegetation Management: any activity that involves modifying vegetation (trees, shrubs, herbaceous etc.) for a specific goal. Examples of goals include fire mitigation and climate mitigation.
Shaded Fuel Breaks: typically found in forested areas. They are characterized by the reduction of surface, ground, ladder and some light reduction in canopy fuels. The goal of a shaded fuel break is to create space between trees or vegetation patches, while maintaining some level of canopy to reduce re-growth of vegetation. Shaded fuel breaks provide opportunities for fire behavior to become more manageable, for fire fighters to establish an anchor and defend resources safely.
Importance of Vegetation Management
Landowner Resources
Defensible Space Exemption Permits
Planning and Permitting Forest Fuel-Reduction Projects on Private Lands in California
UCCE - Forest Stewardship Workshops - a great way to learn about managing your forest ecosystems and different resources available to landowners.
CALFIRE - Vegetation Treatment Plan (Cal VTP) - gives landowners the option to work with CALFIRE to do very specific fuel mitigation work on their property or around their communities. Better suited for Fire Safe Councils, Cities, or larger organizations.
Cost Assistance Program for Sonoma County
| Name of Program | Description | Acreage |
|
California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) Sponsored by CALFIRE |
A cost share program that assists landowners in: * Preparation of a Forest Management Plan * Registered Professional Forester (RPF) Supervision in: Reforestation Stand Improvement Forestland conservation practices/fish and wildlife habitat improvement |
0 to 5,000 acres |
|
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for Forestland Sponsored by USDA, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) |
A cost share program to assist landowners in: * Forest Management Plans * Forest Stand Improvement * Fuel Breaks * Road Improvements * Reforestation * Wildlife Habitat Improvement * Erosion Control
|
No acreage restrictions |
|
A cost-share program assisting landowners with: * planting * pruning * site prep * woody residue follow-up treatments |
5 to 500 |
|
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CALFIRE Grants |
Depends on the grant |
Depends on the grant |
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Crop and Livestock Owners
Livestock and Poultry survey link
Crop and Livestock Owner Resources
Farming through Wildfire Season - videos featuring UCCE Advisors from on-line courses and networks dedicated to helping farmers and ranchers face a future with fire by farmercampus.com
Extension Disaster Education Network Farm Security Course: your farm or ranch is your life and your livelihood. You want to do everything you can to protect it from crime, natural disasters and other threats. The protection measures are similar and well worth the effort to put in place.
Ventura County - Wildfire Preparedness for Farmers, Ranchers and Growers
Texas A&M Extension - Protecting Farms and Ranches from Wildfires