Yuba Watershed Protection and Fire Safe Council can help you!

Join with your neighbors to become better protected from Wildfire! Yuba Watershed Protection and Fire Safe Council can assist your community through the process of becoming a Recognized Firewise USA Site and build community wildfire resilience. More information on the national Firewise program is available at the NFPA website.

There are currently over 1500 Certified Firewise USA Sites (formerly referred to as Firewise Communities) throughout the United States. A “Site” can be as few as 8 residences and no more than 2500. A “Site” can be a street, a subdivision, a homeowner association, or other geographical area, as determined by the residents.

The YWP&FSC aims to likewise create our own groundswell of community activism that will help neighbors harden their home, create defensible space, and create fire-resistant neighborhoods.

Yuba Watershed Protection and Fire Safe Council and a Firewise USA representative will help you as needed during the process. To get started, contact our YWPFSC Firewise Coordinator: Sandie Marotti-Huckins  programs@yubafiresafe.org  or call 530-645-2236.

The NFPA and Firewise USA recently posted a success story that illustrates how a Firewise Site aided firefighter’s efforts in containing a large wildfire in the Durango, CO area. Click here to see the story.

Specific steps for becoming a Firewise USA Site in Yuba County are outlined below:

1. YWPFSC and fire agency partners will train volunteer Wildfire Mitigation Advisors.
2. Residents request a Wildfire Mitigation Review visit from the Fire Safe Council (YWPFSC).
3. Neighbors, with assistance from YWPFSC if necessary, will work together to form a Neighborhood Committee.
4. The committee, together with YWPFSC, will identify boundaries of their Site and develop a GIS-generated Site Map. Minimum of 8 single-family residences.
5. The community will prepare a Community Hazard & Risk Assessment and 3-5 year Action Plan.
6. The Site residents will work on the Action Plan Goals and will meet at least one time per year.
7. YWP&FSC will register the Site with NFPA and submit the Hazard & Risk Assessment
8. NFPA will certify the Site!

The action plan is a living document. Each board/committee will develop an action plan – a prioritized list of risk reduction projects/investments for the participating site, along with suggested homeowner actions and education activities that participants will strive to complete annually, or over a period of multiple years. Action plans should be updated at a minimum of every three years.