Firewise USA update

To the Editor:

It is a little over a year now since I organized the first Firewise USA site in Tuolumne County. It is a highly touted and successful national program designed to bring wildfire prevention down to a neighbor helping neighbor level.

It also makes some participants eligible for fire insurance rebates.

Although local officials have endorsed the program and indicated it is a cornerstone of wildfire prevention they have done little to support the program. The county received a $97K grant to help sites get started but have only spent a relatively small fraction and may eventually lose funding as time limits run out.

The original goal was to have 20 of these sites in place by now. We have seven. Looking at other more successful counties it would appear there is much closer collaboration between Firewise sites, county government, Cal Fire, and local Fire Safe Councils whereas in Tuolumne County it is pretty much left to each site to go it alone.

Unfortunately most of the actions we can take to reduce neighborhood wildfire risk are similar in nature for all sites and implementation best achieved by coordination and combination of effort. I have had conversations with county officials who are sympathetic but do nothing or refer me to someone else who does nothing.

A first priority should be the county designating someone, probably a paid employee, as coordinator for the Firewise USA program. A first order of business would be to establish a line of communication between sites and coordination of their needs.

Probably the most urgent need is assistance in the removal of vegetation waste from neighborhoods, a process most efficiently and cost effective if done on a collective basis. Yes we have COVID-19 but the wildfire threat is also here now and will not go away.

Ed Fernandez Sonora