History

HIGHLIGHTS of TIMELINE ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the FIRESAFE COUNCILS of SISKIYOU COUNTY

YEAR 1:

  • Collaboratively formed (September 2002) the Mount Shasta Area Fire Safe Council.
  • Elected officers and filed for non-profit status.
  • Co-wrote grant proposal for a Mt. Shasta Area Wildfire protection plan.

YEARS 1-15:

  • National Wildfire Awareness Week: Organized and participated several years in a row (12) at several venues sharing fire-wise educational information.
  • Secured grant for Mt. Shasta Area CWPP and began work.
  • Prepare and conduct ongoing community and neighborhood workshops on fire prevention, including proper P.R.C. 4291 tree/vegetation marking and implementation, effective pile burning, necessary fuel reduction maintenance, utilization of fire-resistant building materials, vagrancy awareness, illegal campfires/fireworks, etc.
  • Wrote numerous articles in newspapers, Facebook, magazines and other media.
  • Frequently seek, acquire, and provide radio station interviews that are pithy, relevant, and timely regarding fire prevention efforts.
  • Helped create, edit, and produce 3 “Living with Fire” tabloid editions.
  • Help other local FSCs with CWPPs and CWPP updates
  • Provided FSC mentor through ESRI and help local FSCs with mapping and planing needs. Taught GIS workshops to local FSCs, sharing FSCSC ESRI software trainer for ArcView applications, particularly.
  • Co-edited county-wide CWPP for Siskiyou County, helped write and secure an RAC grant; Mt. Shasta Area Fire Safe Council CWPP approved by CALFIRE.
  • Secured 5 grants for fuel reduction, and 4 grants for educational outreach.

YEAR 2:

  • First grant (BLM) received for creating Mount Shasta Area CWPP county-wide. CWPP Used Mt. Shasta Area CWPP as their model.
  • Planned and secured federal grant funding, particularly from USFS but also BLM, for demonstration fuel reduction projects. All projects were written to include significant fire prevention education opportunities.
  • Prepared and helped secure grants from private foundations, RAC, P,P&L, State Farm Insurance, Cross Petroleum, etc., plus CFSC Grants Clearinghouse.
  • Organized with Redding/Chico ABC TV a pre-fire fuel reduction educational segment that aired during National Wildfire Awareness Week, filmed in Siskiyou County, that also featured several project areas worked.

YEAR 2-5:

  • Mt. Shasta Area CWPP approved by CALFIRE 2004.
  • Worked with CWPP committee to complete a Siskiyou County-wide CWPP; approved by CALFIRE 2008.

YEAR 3:

  • Received non-profit 501(c)3 status in 2004.

YEARS 3-4:

  • Project Information: Over last 15 years we have worked demonstration educational fuel reduction grant projects totaling apprx. 600 acres of fuel treatments performed on volunteer work days/years.

YEAR 4:

  • Dale and Giselle Nova of Nova Vita Natural Resource Management contacted as youth coordinators.
  • Cooperated with Siskiyou Resource Conservation District on a low income senior citizen defensible space rebate grant, treating homes per P.R.C. 4291 throughout Siskiyou County
  • Actively burn as much as possible with the key goal of getting fires back on the ground in our maintenance returns.
  • Actively engage schools as much as possible from primary grades to university-level involvement.
  • YEAR 5:
  • Developed and hosted defensible space and construction workshop in cooperation with UC Ag Co-operative Extension
  • Produced a defensible space educational 30-minute video for local public TV.

YEARS 6,7, & 8:

  • Red Zone software workshops taught; developed a work team of Red Zone trainers and taught workshop to CALFIRE personnel, who utilized it in key “trouble” areas.

YEAR 7:

  • Giselle presented the Smokey Bear Award by CALFIRE for outstanding fire safe educational outreach work.
  • Secured several collaborative partners, then implemented the free Mt. Shasta Biomass Collection Site (BCS) at the old Roseburg mill yard in South Mt. Shasta (writing several articles emphasizing fire prevention through biomass utilization). This project followed Mt. Shasta’s devastating “Storm of the Century” in 2010 that FEMA declared a National Emergency Incident..

YEAR 8:

  • Re-opened the BCS for 2011 spring fuel reduction season and provide processed feedstock to Roseburg Forest Products’ Weed biomass plant for conversion to electric energy, producing more local jobs while reducing the negative impacts of excessive outdoor burning, landfill or illegal dumping, and depletion of finite fossil fuels. (Featured in CFSC’s Spring 2010 Newsletter).
  • Siskiyou County Fire Circle: Helped organize a highly educational event that also fostered deeper collaborative relationships with our 21 local Siskiyou County Fire Safe Councils.
  • Siskiyou County Fire Chiefs’ Meetings.
  • Much time volunteered providing FSC updates, presentations, and providing fuel reduction project works in several areas identified by community fire chiefs.

YEARS 7, 8, &9:

  • Produced Federal Grant Clearinghouse process workshops; facilitated and taught workshop classes on how to successfully prepare grants.

YEARS 8-9:

  • The February – May 2010 Biomass Collection Site Program in Mt. Shasta: this program demonstrated the effectiveness of the Mt. Shasta Area Fire Safe Council in crisis of a declared ‘national emergency’ FEMA incident, i.e., Mt. Shasta’s “Storm of the Century.” FSCs have no season, no boundaries, no problems we can’t flex to find solutions for!

YEAR 9:

  • Helped write a grant securing a joint-owned FSC/County Fire Warden chipper that is used on fuel reduction projects by CALFIRE, crews on FSC projects, and for community FSC volunteer work days.

YEAR 10-12:

  • Actively participate in the Siskiyou County government’s CWPP Panel with 2 MSAFSC panelists holding appointed positions that reviewed and recommended local CWPPs for Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors to approve. Volunteered on CWPP Panel to develop uniform, national-level CWPP criteria for CWPPs throughout Siskiyou County.

YEARS 5,6, & 12:

  • Northwest Regional Fire Safe Conferences: Hosted and/or co-hosted two different 2-day Northwest Regional Fire Safe Conferences in Mt. Shasta with Fire Safe Council leadership attending from as far south as Yosemite Fire Safe Council. Also helped Del Norte FSC co-host the 2006 N.W. Regional Fire Safe Conference and acquired a $5,000.00 grant for them from State Farm Insurance Company.

YEARS 2-15:

  • Fire Prevention Co-Op: work with multi-agency fire prevention team to help develop and implement many annual high quality educational outreaches.
  • Prepared and gave informational PPT presentations and other informational presentations to: Lions Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, Board of Realtors, City councils, County Board of Supervisors, plus many more groups.

Educational Outreach

  • Conducted many public outreaches for citizens relative to helping create fire-wise community and more fire safe properties. Just a few venues included: “Fire-Safing your Property” (in cooperation with the Shasta Valley RCD); Siskiyou County Fair (partner with the Siskiyou County Inter-Agency Fire Prevention Co-Op); Blackberry Festival, Mt. Shasta; 4th of July, Mt. Shasta; Sportsmen’s Expo, Yreka; Fire Safe Fair, Mt. Shasta; Firewise Festival, Mt. Shasta; many home water users’ and landowners’ association presentations, civic groups, City Council presentations, County BOS presentations, etc..

YEARS 3-15:

  • Actively posted fire prevention posters in past, present, and future fuel reduction project areas in prominent locations. Re-visit with residents and neighborhood coordinator volunteers in past project areas, organizing and presenting neighborhood fuel reduction maintenance workshops and assist with volunteer Saturday workdays.
  • Helped establish and maintain the FSCSC website <firesafesiskiyou.org> including MSAFSC link plus MSAFSC Facebook pages

YEAR 15: