Hello Fallen Leaf!
I was so excited to have over 60 interested people at the Fire Adapted Communities / FIREWISE information meeting last Thursday January 22. Taking a community approach to wildland fire preparedness is the only way we will be able to reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildfire and it really is up to us to do the work. Your Fire Chief and the FLLCSDFD are here to help as much as we can.
The most common question I am getting from interested (but hesitant) potential committee members is, “what am I supposed to do?” So here is the list. I will be working with the committee members (and the community) every step of the way and the FLLCSDFD and the TRCD will be helping with the most complicated requirements (see below).
Committee members will have the following responsibilities.
- The Committee has to have at least 3 people on it. I am asking for a committee member to represent each primary neighborhood (SSC, Stanford Hill, Glen Alpine, Lily Lake, Fallen Leaf Lodge Homeowners, Fallen Leaf Rd, Emigrant Rd, Cathedral Rd) or 8 to 10 people plus me.
- You must be a stakeholder in the neighborhood. (i.e. be attached to a home there)
- You will communicate and educate your neighbors on the progress of the Firewise Application and help organize the Work Day event in your specific neighborhood.
- The committee will identify a “lead contact” or chairperson (most likely your Fire Chief, though it would be great if someone else would be willing to co-chair!)
- Include other key stakeholders, FLLCSDFD, TRCD, USFS LTBMU and CAL FIRE as committee members.
- The committee will meet as often as necessary to complete the following (I estimate not more than 6 meetings a year of about an hour plus the workday for your neighborhood)
- a. Risk Assessment of the community (mostly done by FLLCSDFD and TRCD, update every 5 years)
- b. Action Plan (complete 3 year plan template that outlines specific measurable goals for reducing wildfire risk in each neighborhood. Also done mostly by FLLCSDFD)
- c. Organize at least one educational event or activity for the community annually (FLLCSDFD is planning at least 4 in 2026, so all you have to do is get neighbors to show up!)
- d. Track work that is done in each neighborhood. This can be the one hour each that you and your neighbors are each doing raking, the 4 hours x number of people who attended the work day, the money you spent to upgrade your roof or deck or to pay a contractor to remove a tree. Any work that we as a community to improve our wildfire resilience. (the goal is to complete one hour of work for each dwelling unit per year or about 400 hours. We will smash this goal.)
- e. Submit the Firewise Application at the end of the summer to obtain recognition.
- f. Renew the activities and application before November every year (FLLCSDFD will also help with this) YES, committee members can be replaced as often as needed.
SO PLEASE, VOLUNTEER!
(I still need committee members from Glen Alpine, Lily Lake, Fallen Leaf Road and Cathedral Road)
I have included the slide show and the recording of the meeting on the FLLCSD website under the FIREWISE tab. As soon as we have enough committee members, we will schedule another online meeting to discuss our next steps. If you want to read up on Fire Adapted Communities and FIREWISE, go to the following websites:
https://www.tahoercd.org/fire-adapted-communities-program
http://www.readyforwildfire.org
http://www.livingwithfire.org
https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa
Yours in Service,
Chris Sauer, Fire Chief FLLCSDFD