Steps to Becoming a Berkeley Firewise Community

 

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To become a certified Firewise site, organize, map out a site, and start the process to apply for recognition at the national Firewise site.

 

You can use the step-by-step instructions at the Cal Fire website or follow the steps below.  There are instructions at the national Firewise site as well, but keep in mind that California requires that you use its own templates.

 

 

First…do you already live in a Berkeley Firewise community?

 

There are currently more than 16 Firewise communities in Berkeley recognized by the national organization.  To find out whether you live in one, see this MAP.  For more detail on each local site, see HERE.

 

Basic steps…

 

Form a working group.  Bring together five or six interested neighbors.  Familiarize yourselves with the goals of Firewise USA and Firesafe Berkeley.

 

Contact your Berkeley Firewise liaison officer. As group leader, notify the Berkeley Fire Department’s Firewise coordinator of your intention to form a Firewise community.  DAllard@berkeleyca.gov. 

 

At this stage you can invite some of your neighbors via email, flyers, etc. to attend a community gathering with your liaison officer to learn about the Firewise program. 

 

Decide on the boundaries of your site.

 

--Consider neighborhood interest, sense of community, size of area, number of households, and proximity to other neighboring Firewise groups. 

 

--Start a list of names, addresses, contact information, etc. of the households in your community.  You don’t need to “sign up” every single household within your boundary.  But all households within your boundary are part of your Firewise community.  It helps to have supportive homeowners distributed throughout your proposed site and no section within your area that prefers to be a separate Firewise community.

 

--If necessary, consult with your Berkeley liaison officer. Firewise USA requires a minimum of 8 single family households.  CalFire prefers larger communities.  Berkeley groups now range from a dozen to more than 100 households.  If you find people willing to be co-leaders (or “block captains”), consider creating a larger zone.

 

--Avoid leaving stranded homes or “pockets” between your proposed zone and adjacent Firewise communities.  You can connect with adjacent Firewise groups at BerkeleyFirewise.org.  

 

Name your community and create a map of the boundaries.  You can take a screenshot of a Google or Microsoft map and draw a boundary around it in PowerPoint.  Make sure the number of dwellings on your map matches the numbers on your application forms.

 

Create your account on the Firewise USA website.  Follow the steps here to register your name, site profile, etc.

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Contact the Cal Fire liaison officer. Attach your map to an email announcing your intention to create a Firewise community. You can check the CalFire site for a list of current liaison officers and their contact information.

 

Develop your Wildfire Risk Assessment. Assess the fire risks in your site using the Firewise USA template.

The template contains the categories you will need to complete, as well as information on how to complete the assessment.  Some groups use spreadsheets to tabulate the information (e.g., roof material, open decks) which is then entered on the template. 

 

Walk through your zone with your Berkeley Firewise liaison officer and working group. Look at how vulnerable the homes are to ember fires.  Consider vegetation, Zone 0 requirements, roofing, adjacent public areas, condition of the structures, ladder fuels, and so forth.  Helpful information on what to look for can also be found on the Berkeley Fire Department's FireSafe page.  

 

What you learn from the assessment will shape the activities in your Action Plan.  Your Risk Assessment and Action Plan will be submitted with your application for recognition.

 

NOTE: Your risk assessment is not the same as the home inspections carried out by the Berkeley Fire Department every year.  Your Firewise aim is to prioritize the risks in your site and work with neighbors to address them.

 

Create your Action Plan....and maintain it.

 

Using the results of your risk assessment, draw up your 3-year action plan on the California template. The 3-year action plan begins the first calendar year after you file your application (i.e., if you file in November 2024, the 3-year plan begins in 2025). 

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Review your risk assessment and 3-year action plan before filing. Send your risk assessment and 3-year action plan to your California liaison officer for review before officially filing.

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Reach out to your community

 

Every Firewise group is required to conduct at least one risk reduction educational event for its community every year.  You will have many topics to choose from.  For instance, you could host a presentation by the Berkeley Fire Department for your neighbors or conduct a workshop on basic home hardening strategies or on BFD’s “leave early” evacuation plan.

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Document the time and money you and your community spend on Firewise activities.  Keep a record of the time you and your working group spend on organizing your community.  You will report the hours spent when you apply.

 

Each site is required to invest the equivalent of one volunteer hour per dwelling unit in wildfire risk reduction actions.  If you site has 50 homes, then complete 50 hours of work or the monetary equivalent, based on the “independent sector value of volunteer time."  To collect and record data, some Firewise groups in the hills use a survey form, others simply talk to neighbors.  

 

Some examples for community investments:

• Contractor Costs: gardeners, arborists, debris removal, annual clearings, etc.

• Chipper costs: rental, disposal costs

• Home hardening costs: vent screening, deck rails and fences, roof cleaning

• Equipment rentals/purchases

• Planning time/meeting preparation/education

 

Start your application for certification at any time.  Visit the Firewise USA portal. If you haven’t already, follow the instructions to create your site profile, then complete the required criteria and submit.

 

Your California liaison officer will approve your application, with final processing done by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  NFPA will inform you when your application is approved.  Your Certified Firewise Community signs will arrive in a few weeks.  Contact your Berkeley Firewise liaison officer, who will arrange with the City to have your signs mounted in your neighborhood.

GREAT RESOURCES FROM THE LOCAL FIRESAFE COUNCILS: