HOME HARDENING HOT TOPIC: FENCES & GATES

Our March meeting featured a presentation by Sheryl Drinkwater, Licensed Architect and Home Hardening Expert, on fences, gates and the impacts they have on home hardening. Here’s her quick rundown of best practices:

1. Retrofit your fence or gate for at least the first 5 feet from the house.
2. Use a noncombustible material like metal or concrete.
3. If you are ready to build a new fence, use a non-combustible material.
4. Maintain weeds and dead material near your fence.
5. Regularly clean and repair your fence for best performance and longevity.

To learn more about best practices, get ideas for fire-smart fence and gate design, and see an extensive gallery of examples selected by Sheryl, watch the recording and see the PDF of her slides.

Swapping Your Fence Could Save You Money

Do you have insurance through the California Fair Plan? Replacing wooden fencing with non-combustible gates and fencing in the first five feet of your home can qualify you for a discount on your insurance.

OFSC Guide – Home Hardening for Wildfire

OFSC Guide – Home Hardening for Wildfire: Assessment Checklist

Castle Court Firewise is making its way toward becoming our latest Firewise Recognized community. The group recently completed their neighborhood Firewise walkthrough, an important step in the recognition process. 

OFSC Firewise lead Joelle Fraser, and Castle Court neighbors were joined by Oakland Fire Marshal Darin White, Edgar Molina-Perez from the Fire Prevention Bureau, Jessie Godfrey, Horticulture Advisor serving the SF Bay Area, and architect and home hardening expert Sheryl Drinkwater. Together, they assessed the area to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities to wildfire for homes and the community. 

This walkthrough will help guide organizers as they develop their three-year community action plan and move toward becoming Firewise recognized.

Is your community interested in becoming a Firewise USA® recognized site? See how OFSC can help your neighborhood group with the process – visit our program page Firewise USA® for Oakland

We're pleased to announce that Oakland Firesafe Council (OFSC) has been awarded $70,000 from PG&E to fund critical fuel reduction projects on residential properties throughout the Oakland Hills. Following the January 2026, announcement of this year’s funding opportunity, our Board, alongside Firewise leaders and neighborhood networks, immediately mobilized outreach efforts to identify eligible projects.

Congrats to WPC Chair Tom Grossman on new puppy, Scout, pictured here at age 11 weeks – Did you know that Zone 0 makes a good pee spot?

At their March 26th meeting, the City of Oakland’s Wildfire Prevention Commission (WPC) received preliminary reports about the expenditure of Measure MM funds, the vegetation management activities conducted, and the hiring of a person with environmental expertise to oversee future expenditures and work plans. More information on these topics is expected at the April meeting so that the WPC can report to the City Council during the budget process. 

The next meeting of the WPC is Thursday, April 16, 5–7pm, in-person at City Hall and on Zoom WPC webpage

On March 22, 2026, the East Bay Resilient Neighborhoods Network (EBRNN) hosted a 90-minute potluck workshop at OFD Station 1 focused on personal emergency preparedness, in partnership with Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE).



Attended by about 25 community members, the session covered emergency basics, key documents to safeguard, and how to assemble a go-bag. Representatives from Oakland’s Office of Emergency Services and Oakland Firesafe Council were also in attendance.

The EBRNN is a growing collective of neighborhood associations which meets quarterly. Learn more and get involved!

• Vegetation Cleanup Event (April 11, 9am–3pm)
  Berkeley Firewise Alliance hosts a community cleanup to help reduce fire risk.
  Details & sign up to volunteer

• Earth Day Habitiat Restoration (April 18, 9–11am)
  Volunteers will remove invasive species to support wildfire resiliency and restore habitat at King Estate Open Space in Oakland, CA
  Details & sign up to volunteer

• United Policyholder's WRAP Working Group Meeting (April 21, 1pm)
  April meeting – Register. March 17th meeting recording.

• Author Talk: Red Flag Warning (April 22, 6–7:30pm)
  Editor Dani Burlison leads a discussion at Oakland Public Library (Montclair) on Red Flag Warning: Mutual Aid and Survival in California's Fire Country.
  More info

• East Bay Wildfire Coalition of Governments (EBWCG)
  March 25th meeting recording. Next meeting is May 27 – agenda and meeting materials are posted closer to that date on their website.

• New Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Toolkit
  Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) + American Property Casualty Insurance Association release a practical, science-based guide for communities. PDF

• Statewide Interactive Risk Map Live
  CAL FIRE shares data from their study to identify communities at higher wildfire risk due to limited evacuation options. More info & see map

• CAL FIRE is hiring Firefighter I
  Join CAL FIRE and be on the front lines of protecting communities and natural resources. Learn more

• NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS – Our newsletter is published once a month, about one week before our third Wednesday of the month meeting. If you have something you’d like to announce or share, send along a submission by the first Monday of the month for consideration. EMAIL: outreach@oaklandfiresafecouncil.org

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• The following OFSC meeting is on May 20

Oakland Firesafe Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations are tax-deductible.