This is the first of an exciting new series of podcasts and companion articles we are collaborating on with journalist Sarah Reith.  Read the full story about the Grange Fire below or listen to the podcast .

Over the weekend, a passionate group of community members came together at the Manchester Grange. As a contribution to the exciting effort to breathe new life into the Grange, the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC), alongside Fire Safe Point Arena, hosted a lively Neighborhood Work Party. The event aimed to teach wildfire home-hardening techniques and then get everyone working together hands-on to help make the Grange safer from wildfire. 

Big News!  Last month the US Forest Service announced its 2024 Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) awards, and MCFSC was granted $1,300,000, mainly for work over the next 4-5 years to establish more Firewise USA®-certified communities throughout Mendocino County.

Wooden fences and gates, once considered innocuous, can act as kindling in a wildfire: if they connect to your house, they can act as a fuse carrying the fire directly to your home (as illustrated in the poster above). 

But fear not – we are pleased to introduce MCFSC’s “Most Dangerous Gate” makeover contest. If yours is chosen as the most dangerous one submitted, you will win a metal (or other nonflammable) gate makeover to replace the gate or section of fence that connects to your house!

On a misty morning in March, a group of 16 women gathered around a crackling wood stove, embarking on a journey to conquer their anxieties and embrace the power of chainsaws. They shared their apprehensions and their previous experiences (or lack of experience) with the tool. A collective sigh of relief swept through the group when one instructor recounted her tears after her initial encounters with a saw. It was clear, this wouldn’t be your typical chainsaw workshop.

The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Taking shape in 2003 and registered as a nonprofit corporation in March 2004, MCFSC has responded to the increased threat of major wildfires of recent years with tremendous growth, activity and creative projects to promote wildfire preparedness and safety throughout Mendocino County.

Cherry Creek Fire Safe Council is an amazing example of the projects that Neighborhood Fire Safe Councils can accomplish when they work together. Learn more about what projects they have been working on.

Andres Avila is Fire Chief of the Anderson Valley Fire Department, and a proud resident of Anderson Valley. I asked him what he does in his free time, and he said he has little of that.

Introducing Chief Sue Carberry, Board Member for the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council

Introducing Mike Jones! A member of the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council's board of directors. Mike brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise and is a huge asset.

Are you curious about how Measure P—a ¼-cent general sales tax that reallocates your
current tax dollars to fire safety services for ten years—will be used by our fire departments?
Read on…

Looking for a project your Fire Safe Council can get done to help your neighborhood be better prepared for wildfire (and other emergencies)? Check out Albion-Little River Fire Safe Council guidelines developed for new homeowners.  They distribute copies along with How to Prepare Your Home for Wildfire brochures to local realtors to share with people moving into the area.  

Take this assessment to see how prepared your home is to survive in the event of a wildfire.  The assessment provides a scoring system that will guide you to a better understanding of which factors make your home vulnerable and enable you to better prioritize improvements you can make.  The assessment also includes a section that will help you assess if you need to make improvements to help first responders defend your property.

MCFSC hosted an interdisciplinary fuels reduction training at the Brooktrails Greenbelt. The week-long event brought experts from around Mendocino County and the greater North Coast to discuss the varying perspectives on conducting effective fuels reduction while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Speakers included Mary Mayeda, NRCS Regional Forester, Dr. Mike Jones, UCCE Forestry Advisor, Kathy McCovey, Cultural & Natural Resource Specialist of the Karuk Tribe, Chris Bennet, local Arborist, and Dr. Jen Riddell, local Botanist, among others. Presentations were delivered to the MCFSC Chipper Crew, staffed by members of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians and filmed to provide an online resource for new crew members moving forward.

Mendocino County Fire Safe Council’s Neighborhood Chipping Days are quickly becoming an essential service.  The program encourages residents to take defensible space into their own hands by offering free service from a chipper & chipper crew to process limbs and brush that residents remove to improve their defensible space. This service, which might cost each neighbor acting individually hundreds of dollars and require many individual disposal trips, makes vegetation management around the county more accessible and has generated thousands of hours of volunteer labor.

Check out this video presented by Colin Wilson, former Anderson Valley Fire Chief, who presents some basic information about fire behavior with the goal of helping you think through when and how to evacuate and when to consider sheltering in place.  Please watch and consider before you are in a situation where you may need to apply the learning.

In a wildfire, everyone may not be able to evacuate the burning area. In such situations, people have two choices: (1) staying at home and “sheltering in place,” which requires excellent fire safe preparation of your home and surroundings, or (2) going to a pre-designated and pre-prepared “Safety Zone.” Safety Zones are wide, cleared, open areas where you and your neighbors could go to survive a wildfire passing through.

When wildfires approach, your home's best defense starts with simple, preventative steps that can make all the difference. Don't wait until it's too late -- prepare your home now to withstand the threat of wildfires.