DFSC Celebrates 25 years! 🎂🎉

Happy birthday to Diablo Firesafe Council! 🎉

DFSC was founded 25 years ago this month to bring together people, agencies, and resources to help reduce the impact of wildland fire on our local communities. While fire safe councils are now distributed throughout the state of California, in 1990 this type of organization did not exist. The driving force behind establishing the fire safe councils came directly out of the impact of the Oakland Firestorm that occurred in October 1991. In that historic fire, 25 people died, and more than 3,000 homes in the Berkeley and Oakland Hills were destroyed due to the wildfire.

All of your donations, time, and efforts make a difference to reduce the impact of a potential wildfire in our area. Your input on regional plans like the Alameda County Community Wildfire Protection Plan and Regional Priority Plan for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties makes a difference. Reducing the vegetation fuel load on your property in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) makes a difference. Getting involved in fire safety preparation with your neighbors makes a difference.  

Thank you for caring about fire safety and for making a difference in your own home, neighborhood, and our region.

You are the reason DFSC exists.

If you and your neighborhood group have been working on fuel reduction and would like a cost-share match for your efforts, the wait is almost over.

DFSC’s cost-share matching program – the Partners in Wildfire Prevention Program – has advanced many projects on our approved waitlist. We anticipate needing new applications for our Cal Fire-funded matching program.

DFSC will be ready to accept new applications this November, so stay tuned for the announcement. In the meantime, we have two Special Needs Assistance Program grants of $5,000 each available for low-income or disabled recipients, including seniors, who meet our criteria and need assistance with their fuel-reduction project.

Please share this information about our SNAP program with those you think could benefit.

In this example photo, you can see why you want to avoid wood-shake roofs, Class C. This type of roof is most vulnerable to ignition. Photo by University of Nevada Coop Extension.

Here’s an important question – is your roof fire-resistant? Below are 7 straightforward actions you can take to improve your roof’s resistance to flying embers, radiant flame, and direct flame, the three main causes of homes igniting in a wildfire.

1. Remove debris from the roof, where flying embers can ignite.
2. Remove tree branches that overhang the roof. This will prevent damage from branches rubbing or falling on the roof, and limit tree debris collecting on the roof and gutters. NOTE: Do not use power equipment during Red Flag Warning days.
3. Inspect for any spaces between your roof covering and sheathing and block them with noncombustible materials or bird stops.
4. Replace or repair any loose or missing shingles or roof tiles to prevent ember penetration.
5. Caulk and plug gaps greater than 1/8-inch around exposed rafters to prevent ember intrusion into the attic or other enclosed spaces.
6. When it is time to replace your roof, replace it with a Class-A, fire-rated roof made of non-combustible material. See the following Firesafe Marin article on different roof classes.
7. Check around chimneys, pipes, skylights, exhaust fans, vents, and air conditioning units. Are penetrations well sealed and tight? Are there gaps and/or signs of missing sealant?

In the example photo, these barrel tile roofs need “bird stops” to prevent debris from animals that pull nesting materials into the gaps, which can easily ignite the roof. Photo by Sheryl Drinkwater.

DFSC conducts free, public education about home-hardening including information on fire-resistant roofs.

To learn more, reach out directly to DFSC home-hardening expert Sheryl Drinkwater to schedule a free program called Five Easy Actions designed for Firewise-designated homeowner groups.

Email sheryl.drinkwater@diablofiresafe.org

DFSC is leading an update of the 2022 Regional Priority Plan (RPP) for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We launched that process with our first stakeholders meeting on September 19, 2024. We had about 60 people attending in person and online. 

Thank you to each and every one of you who participated in the RPP Stakeholder meeting DFSC held in September at Temescal Beach House in Oakland.

Sheryl Drinkwater and Berkeley Fire Department Program Manager Shanalee Gallagher, pose at the RPP Sept. meeting.

DFSC Board members Leslie Krikorian and Rosemary Chang chat after the RPP meeting.

Our required deliverables in updating the 2022 RPP for the two counties include creating a list of high- and medium-priority projects for inclusion in the plan, AND creating a list of potential funding sources for the projects that are approved for inclusion.

DFSC has created an online form for the submission of potential projects, and we are now receiving exciting input from stakeholders in the two counties. There is still time for your organization to submit proposal ideas. 

Join us for the next stakeholder meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 3 PM via Zoom. Please RSVP for the meeting here. 

Potential stakeholders who live and work in Alameda County, we need your help in updating the Alameda County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). 

DFSC has grant funding from Cal Fire to conduct this process, which must be completed before March 15, 2025. This CWPP has not been updated since 2015, in part because the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the normal plan update process. So your input is much needed at this time.

You can review the 2015 CWPP here.

Please email Holly Million your ideas, questions, and input or request a phone or Zoom call to discuss your ideas directly. 

Thank you so much for all you do to help our local communities be wildfire safe.

Email holly@diablofiresafe.org

Oakland's Vegetation Management Plan is a crucial step in mitigating wildfire dangers for local residents, but sufficient funding is essential to ensure its effective implementation. 

Measure MM, a special tax for the 26,000 parcels within Oakland’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, will provide resources to make this plan a reality. If passed, homeowners in this zone will be subject to an annual tax, starting at $99 per single-family home or $65 per apartment, with exemptions for some low-income homeowners and seniors. Revenue will be used to implement Oakland’s 10-year Vegetation Management Plan, which includes essential wildfire prevention efforts such as enhanced firefighter patrols, goat grazing, property inspections, homeowner education, and road clearing. 

For more information, visit https://www.makeoaklandwildfiresafe.com.

The Berkeley Fire Department is excited to announce its selection by the California Fire Safe Council as a recipient of a 22 CAL FIRE Wildfire County Coordinator-Northern Grant Award. This grant project aims to assist counties with wildfire mitigation outreach and coordination. This position will sit in the Berkeley Fire Department and serve all of Alameda County. BFD is actively developing this position through stakeholder outreach.

In Alameda County, BFD will utilize grant funds to:

1. Build a census of all wildfire mitigation groups.
2. Analyze gaps in county-wide wildfire resiliency and emergency preparedness and develop recommendations to fill those gaps.
3. Develop mechanisms to improve outreach and coordination efforts.

In order to further develop this position and prepare for recruitment, please fill out our survey to help us better understand what wildfire mitigation groups want to see in the County Coordinator position.

BFD is seeking input from wildfire mitigation groups, FireWise Communities, councils, commissions, and other stakeholders to provide input for the Alameda County Coordinator position to provide information on how to improve wildfire mitigation and resiliency and emergency preparedness efforts county-wide.

Links:

• Complete the Survey
• Learn more about the grant program
• Learn more info about FireSafe Berkeley initiatives
• Sign up for other future County Coordinator emails

PO Box 18616, Oakland, 94619 | holly@diablofiresafe.org