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Dear Friends of DFSC,

Starting at a community level with education and organizing, we can mitigate the risks of catastrophic fires here. DFSC’s mission is to empower neighbors to work together so everyone can protect their lives and homes from the threat of wildfires. The Sunol-based Firewise Community called the Lower Kilkare Road 500 Safety Team did just that when they worked together to clear an evacuation route for their neighborhood.

Have you submitted a proposal for a medium- or high-priority project for the update to the Regional Priority Plan (RPP) for Alameda and Contra Costa County? Or given input on the update to the Alameda County CWPP? There is still time to participate. 

Thanks are due to all who donated to The Cheryl Miller Fund, which is raising funds for DFSC’s educational programs. We have great news to announce regarding our progress on the fund.

This month we feature DFSC Board President and Home Hardening Specialist Sheryl Drinkwater in our Meet the Board segment, where she goes over the easiest action a home owner can do to protect their home from wildfire. 

With great appreciation and thanks,

DFSC Executive Director

Holly Million

Jordan Goyton, Irene Martin and DFSC Board member Rosemary Chang pose in front of the cost-share worksite in Sunol.

A tall grove of eucalyptus trees stood on a very steep hillside behind Phyllis Jardin’s home in Sunol. One particular 120-foot tree was in danger of falling onto Irene Martin’s home and possibly blocking Kilkare Road, an evacuation route for more than 400 families.  

This problem persisted for many years until neighbors banded together, led by Irene and Jordan Goyton, Phyllis’ son, to apply for a DFSC Partners in Wildfire Prevention cost-share match. The problematic tree was cleaned up and reduced by 40 feet. In addition, eucalyptus debris and other vegetative fuels were removed from the surrounding area. Neighbors contributed sweat equity by participating in the debris removal, and they also contributed funds to the effort. Both of these contributions from the neighbors helped secure their matching funds.  

Clearing the eucalyptus trees in danger of falling onto the evacuation route of 400 families in Sunol.

Irene and Jordan's efforts to organize and unite their neighbors produced even more positive results, leading to the group’s formation of a Firewise Community called the Lower Kilkare Road 500 Safety Team.  

DFSC’s PIWP cost-share matching application has reopened, and we are looking for new projects like the one in Sunol. From thinning dead trees, to removing dry brush, to clearing evacuation routes, your neighborhood group’s fuels reduction and defensible space work may be eligible for up to $5,000 in cost-sharing assistance. We encourage you to apply or contact joelle@diablofiresafe.org with questions.

Sheryl Drinkwater, President of the Diablo Firesafe Council Board of Directors

Why did you join Diablo Firesafe Council? 

After obtaining certification as a Cal OES safety assessor (where I imagined assessing buildings after a local earthquake), I was deployed to Sonoma during the 2017 fires and again to the town of Paradise during the 2018 Camp fire. This experience changed my perspective on disaster response and showed me a new world related to building science. For my fellow architects and engineer safety assessors, the big question was why did some homes burn while some did not? 

Next, I soaked up as much information as I could on wildfire science and fire’s effect on buildings by attending conferences and doing a lot of research. I contacted Cheryl Miller, professional landscape architect and then-executive director of Diablo FireSafe Council to learn more about what they were doing and began attending public board meetings. Cheryl was really supportive of my endeavors and believed I could bring some expertise to the group as an architect. I eventually joined the board, and Cheryl and I developed the pilot for our current home hardening program, calling it ‘Five Easy Actions.’

Sheryl Drinkwater presents to an Oakland Firewise Community about the different fuel types.

What are you looking forward to in 2025 at DFSC?

The DFSC Home Hardening Education Program has had great initial success, and we are now seeking additional funding to offer the program in more locations in both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. With sufficient funds, we would like to develop training for professional landscapers and pest-control technicians to educate them on Zone 0 best practices. 

For example, a homeowner pointed out during one of our events, that her landscaper didn’t ask her first about placing “gorilla hair” mulch in her garden, near her home. This type of mulch is highly flammable. They just don’t have the specific training on performing services in high fire-risk neighborhoods. Reducing fire risk, by creating defensible space and taking action by making changes to the home, especially in the first five feet of the building, should be a conversation homeowners and professionals are having. There is a lot of work to do here. 

Another priority would be to assist fire agencies to develop home-hardening programs, where they just do not have the staffing to do so themselves. There are a range of options here to help get the home-hardening messaging out.  

Sheryl Drinkwater discusses the risks of fences and landscaping at a neighborhood walk-about during a Home Hardening event.

What is the easiest thing a homeowner can do today to protect their home from wildfire?

Property owners need to clean up by removing combustible materials from the first five feet of their home and deck. For example, woodpiles close to the house or under decks create a higher risk of your home igniting. In addition, dry leaves and vegetation, pine needles, and wood attachments on and around your home act as kindling. Think of how you would build a campfire – you would use all these smaller fuels to kindle, or start, the fire, and as they ignite, they will then help to ignite the larger fuels (think logs or a wood trellis). Once a fire near your home gets large enough, the house itself becomes the fuel. A typical house made with all that wood and other flammable materials can defend itself for only so long. 

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

I really enjoy helping homeowners and talking to them about reducing their risk. I feel like I have a lot to contribute. I’m happy to bring my expertise to my role on the board, connecting this important program work to our organization’s overall mission.

We are beyond grateful to the four new contributors who made personal, tax-deductible gifts to The Cheryl Miller Fund this month. This fund aims to raise $25,000 in unrestricted contributions to support DFSC’s educational work and home-hardening programs.

In just 30 days we rocketed from being at 17% of our goal to over the halfway mark. We are very grateful to the anonymous donor who contributed $10K.

Donor Carol Rice added these kind words with her personal gift: “Here's to Cheryl Miller, who through her creativity and commitment to fire safety made a HUGE impact on the East Bay.”

Now we need your help. Let’s take the fund all the way! Please make your donation today.

You can write a custom message or share a photo of how DFSC has helped your community when you donate on the fund page. 

Dina Robertson Wildland Vegetation Program manager at East Bay Regional Park district brought up forest resilience and an ecology perspective at the last RPP meeting.

Thank you to everyone who attended our second stakeholder meeting on the Regional Priority Plan (RPP) for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties along with the Alameda County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) on Thursday, December 5, 2024. Together, we covered RPP and CWPP deliverables and reviewed a draft of proposal criteria.

Here is a recording of the event if you missed it, as well as our slide deck with example proposals and important links.

We updated our online RPP proposal submission form to match the format for proposals including Priority Action, Recommendation, Lead & Partners, Time Frame and Estimated Funding.

We also added a new form for CWPP suggestions. It includes what content should be added, removed, and general feedback.

Submitted proposals and feedback are under review by our steering committee. Haven’t submitted yet? Not to worry! We are continuously accepting new proposals through late 2026. We encourage you to submit ideas under development. 

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

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