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Dear Friends of DFSC,

Diablo Firesafe Council is working harder than ever to help create defensible space, harden homes, educate our neighbors about Zone 0, and update two important wildfire plans that impact all of us who live and work in the two counties. This is why we exist.

The recent fires in Southern California, as well as the Keller Fire in Oakland last October, have increased our sense of urgency regarding local wildfire prevention efforts. DFSC is receiving a dramatic increase in inquiries about home-hardening and Zone 0 presentations. And we are receiving more inquiries from neighborhood groups wanting to apply for cost-share matches for defensible space.

We are also seeing inspiring engagement from local residents, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, fire departments, and other groups participating in crucial updates to the Alameda and Contra Costa County RPP and the Alameda County CWPP. We have received 29 submitted proposals for crucial wildfire-related projects in both counties for inclusion in the plans, with more proposals on their way.

Here at DFSC, we are rolling up our sleeves to get more done. We are grateful to our collaborators, partners, and neighbors for your work with us. And we are grateful to the donors making personal contributions to support the Cheryl Miller Fund, which is more than halfway to its goal of raising $25,000 for our wildfire education program. If you have not yet donated, there is still time.

Thank you all for this expansive year of important work here at DFSC. We are happy to serve our community.

With great appreciation,

DFSC Executive Director

Holly Million

A Berkeley homeowner received a citation for this overgrown ivy and bamboo in their frontyard.

This picture shows the transformation after overgrown vegetative fuels were removed by a contractor hired with funds from the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) funded by Cal Fire grant money.

Fire Inspector Jesse Figoni of the Wildland Urban Interface Division of the Berkeley Fire Department coordinated with Diablo Firesafe Council to identify a resident in the Berkeley Hills who could benefit from the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP). The resident had just received a citation for overgrown fuel and was unable to address what was needed without assistance.

The grant paid for a licensed contractor to mitigate all the violations identified in the citation that included the need to limb up a redwood and maple tree and remove ivy and bamboo that had become overgrown. The resident was extremely grateful for the help, and this assistance also made the neighborhood safer for all residents.

The SNAP program waives the cost-share match that is usually required for applicants to our DFSC program and offers up to $5,000 in assistance to help low-income and/or disabled residents hire a contractor to reduce fuel loads and create defensible space on their property. 

Reach out directly to Joelle Fraser with any questions joelle@diablofiresafe.org

Ra Criscitiello, Esq

Why did you join Diablo Firesafe Council? 

DFSC is not just an organization with a name and mission. They are an important agent for change in the community. For example, they actually did what they said they would do working with my neighborhood group on a cost-share matching project. For my cost-share match, I had to fill out a punch list, and the process was very clear. Cheryl Miller, our executive director at the time, was so responsive to our needs, including the payment to the contractor, which was on time. That was meaningful and made a huge difference. 

I was inspired to be more active as I got to know my neighbors and community more. There is an underrepresentation of this area. At the time, half of the DFSC board was from Kensington, with no one from West Contra Costa towns like Pinole, Hercules, El Sobrante, and Richmond. There are real resources here at DFSC, and I thought it would be nice to have our area represented on the board.

Ra Criscitiello poses with a few of the goats hired for fuel reduction with a DFSC cost-share match.

Tell me about the fuel reduction grant you received for El Sobrante Hills. 

I bought this house in 2016 and started to get to know my neighbors and the lay the land. It's a high wildfire danger area in the WUI and there are a lot of older houses and people on my hill. There was some complacency about doing wildfire prevention stuff. I don’t remember how, but I got in touch with Cheryl Miller about goat-grazing support.

I’d done wildfire work previously. I collected my neighbors together who were willing to do a goat project. I told them I don’t mind being a facilitator. We had some neighbors do sweat equity, and some do financial contributions.

The goats were staged at my house – 400 goats from Goats R Us. I used to live in the Berkeley Hills as a renter, and those goats would be in the hills in April and May every year, grazing. I was lucky they were available. They grazed 15 acres between all our neighbors. 

400 goats were staged at Ra’s home to clear 15 acres of her and her neighbors' properties. 

What was it like to work with goats for fuel reduction?

When they were offloaded it was a stampede. It was the entertainment for the week. There was a faint smell from the goats, but my chicken coop smells worse!

The herding dogs that came along with the goats were amazing, and the herders were amazing and incredible. The clearing was unbelievable. Head-high Scotch broom was just mowed down to the ground. From overgrown to mowed to the ground. And then, after that we were on the cost-share waitlist again and had a second round of support. 

If you just weed whack, it comes back the next year. Our property is really steep. I’s really hard to weed whack, and hiring people does the job, but it's not cheap – usually $1,500 - $2K an acre. The goats turn up the land, and we get between two and three years between growth. Then two years ago, a bunch of us hired landscapers to do the whole thing, and now after the rain, we are going to think about what to do this year. My long-term goal is to get my own goats. I have a half-built shed, and I could loan them out. 

Is there anything you would like to add about your experience on the DFSC board?

I’ve been on a number of non-profit boards and worker-owned cooperative boards. This board is so unusual because people come with so many useful backgrounds, including agencies. A lot of things I do are based around fighting and advocacy. There is something about this group that feels very aligned and doesn't feel like a struggle, and it’s really appreciated. 

Defensible space is the buffer zone you create between your property and the surrounding wildland area through home hardening, fuel reduction, firescaping, and maintenance. It creates a space for firefighters to defend your home and creates ember resistance when removing or replacing combustible materials in Zone 0, the first zero to 5 feet of space from your home’s foundation, measuring outward.

Central Marin Fire Battalion Chief Todd Lando did a great video on Myths vs Truths of defensible space for Fire Safe Marin. Here are some points we liked from his video.

Wooden fences can carry fires to a structure. As shown here in a IBHS demonstration, the structure with the metal fence did not ignite. Photo by IBHS.

There is still time to submit proposals for the Contra Costa and Alameda County Regional Priority Plan (RPP) AND to give input on updates for the Alameda County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). 

The Alameda County CWPP update must be completed by March 15, 2025. You are invited to review the existing plan and give feedback on the content or suggest changes and additions. The revised CWPP will be submitted to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for approval in March.

The RPP update, funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy, is a continuous process running through the end of 2026. You may submit proposed projects for inclusion at any time during this period. Submitted proposals for the RPP are under review by our steering committee. 

To request a phone call to discuss your proposal or ask any questions, email holly@diablofiresafe.org.

Other Important Links

Find summaries and recordings of our past RPP and CWPP meetings on our website https://diablofiresafe.org/regional-priority-plan 

Publications

2015 CWPP Alameda County

2022 Alameda and Contra Costa County RPP

Meeting Recordings and Materials

Stakeholder meeting #2 December 2024 Recording

Stakeholder meeting #2 Slide Deck

Stakeholder meeting #1 September 2024 Recording

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