Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG)

Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG)

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) project is a 5-year grant program and consists of 4 components (phases) that work together in tandem. These phases include: Conducting FREE wildfire home assessments to Siskiyou County residents; Complete Defensible Space work on approximately 500 homes; Identify and prioritize areas for fuel reduction and roadside fuel breaks to create safer ingress and egress for firefighters, emergency personnel, and residents; and, Coordinate, plan and execute community outreach events reaching 29 communities across the county.

Project Overview

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) project is a 5-year grant program, obtained through the USDA Forest Service, and consists of 4 phases that work together in tandem. These phases include:

Partnership Collaboration
In 2022, the Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County (FSCSC) and CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) began partnership to promote fire safety in Siskiyou County. The agency’s worked in conjunction on the Dunsmuir Pilot Program that completed home assessments, created defensible space around 40 homes, promoted the first Firewise community in Siskiyou County, and provided public outreach.

In 2024, the two agency’s are working collaboratively on the CWDG Project for Fuels Reduction and the Defensible Space Program throughout Siskiyou County.

Project Status

In June 2024, project staff met with participating agencies and identified and prioritized areas in Siskiyou County based on a plethora of variables such as fire history, fire severity, and wildland urban interface in order to prioritize communities in Siskiyou County.

Since May, 110 community members have signed up to receive a free home assessment, which are now underway, and focus on defensible space and home hardening utilizing the Fire Aside home assessment software. This home assessment tool is specific to Siskiyou County hazards and fuel types.