FIRE-ADAPTED COMMUNITIES LEARNING NETWORK SECOND QUARTER WEBINAR – DEC 13, 2013

Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network

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pilot community you are working with.

Effective Communications and Partnership Engagement

Agenda

Network Business Update

Learning Topic

Presentation by Georgia partners

Presentation by Minnesota partners

Presentation by Lake Tahoe partners

Presentation by Colorado partners

Discussion about Communications and Partnership

Engagement will all webinar participants

Update on FAC Network Project Developments

Learning and Sharing Plans

Communications Materials

Technical Briefs/Quick Guides

Community Assessment Tool

Upcoming FAC Net Activities

Important dates:

December 31st mid-term project period ends

January 15th mid-term reports due (we will also handle any work plan

adjustments as part of the mid-term reporting process)

March 14th third quarter webinar – Learning Topic TBD…

June 2nd-6th Annual Meeting proposed dates. We’re working on securing a

location in Colorado. We’ll make more information about this available asap

June 13th fourth quarter webinar – Learning Topic TBD. Year 1 final reports

due

June 30th issue 2nd year awards based on negotiated proposals

Questions?

Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D Council

Towns County, Georgia Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network Pilot

Project-2013

Lake Chatuge, Towns County Georgia

Those we’ve engaged with:

Towns County Fire Rescue

Towns County Fire Corps (Volunteer organization)

Towns County Sole County Commissioner

Towns County Sheriffs Department

Towns County Planning

Towns County EMA

Towns County School Superintendent/School System

Towns County County-wide Homeowners Association

Georgia Forestry Commission

USDA Forest Service-Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

The Nature Conservancy

Southern Governors Association

Georgia State Fire Marshal

Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation

Young Harris College

Local Libraries (2)

Firewise Communities (6 exist-5 more coming on board)

Various NE Georgia County Commissioners

Special events/meetings:

Eleven FAC meetings with collaborators to educate/plan activities-May-September

RC&D-Presentations to 13 individual County Commissioner(s) meetings-July-October

Collaborators-Georgia Mountain Fair-August

RC&D-Wildfire Safe, Sound, & Code Smart Conference-October

Collaborators-Firewise Communities Program Week-November

Collaborators-Various civic organizations presentations-November

RC&D-Georgia Mountains Regional Commission presentation-November

Collaborators-Development and formation of Citizens Coalition meeting-December

IAFC public service announcement filming in Hiawassee-December

http://townscountyfireprevention.wordpress.com/

Towns County FAC Website-designed by the Georgia Forestry Commission

Towns County Commissioner signs Firewise Communities Program Proclamation for the week of November 3rd-9th, 2013

Examples of electronic sign usage

1-Courthouse display with materials 2-Ingle’s Market event 3-Fieldstone Theater advertisement

1 2

3

Towns County Middle School Ag Class “Good Fire and Bad Fire”

Firewise Day Events-”Chipper Days” using Secure Rural Schools Title III funds-3 accomplished this week

Fire Learning Network involvement with The Nature Conservancy

This pilot project will be included as a goal for the expansion of the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network in the Southern Appalachians

What’s next?

• Citizens Coalition involvement

• Move forward with projects related to elements

• First quarter 2014-present to another location

Major learning event: Attended Minnesota-statewide Firewise meeting in early-October (first of it’s kind for the state and result of long-time leadership vision) Results: -Identified need to develop case studies to “tell the story” about what is working/needed with FAC/Firewise in the state (celebrate successes, influence others, build momentum, etc) -Identified opportunities to address needs & opportunities in Ely with specific activities:

- Explore local leadership potential to adapt county-CWPP to community

- Collaborate with Red Cross on training - Host panel presentation about FAC for

2014 Regenerate Ely Speaker Series - Investigate barriers to successful

recruitment of Level 2 assessors, follow-up opportunities, motivational activities

Great Lakes FAC Hub - Effective Communications and Partnership Engagement

FIRE ADAPTED

COMMUNITIES

LAKE TAHOE BASIN

•Neighbors for Defensible Space •Block Parties •Built grassroots support for a prescribed fire program

1989

•First prescribed fire in district

1995

•Angora Fire •3000 acres •250 homes destroyed •$160 Million costs

•Governors’ Blue Ribbon Commission

2007

•$5 Million in federal funding

2008

2008

TAHOE

FIRE &

FUELS

TEAM

Operations Finance Planning

2008

SUMMER 2011

•NVFSC federal funding •$15 Million since 2008 •$6 Million in reserves

SUMMER 2011

•Nevada Fire Safe Council: •60 Tahoe Fire Safe Chapters •Over 3000 members •Defensible space rebates •Annual conferences

SUMMER 2011

SUMMER 2011

•Multimedia ad campaigns •Mailers •Newspapers •TV and Radio Spots •Social Media •Op-eds

SUMMER 2011

Defensible Space and Fuels Treatment Databases

•Basin Fire Districts: •Five 20-person hand crews •2 chipping crews •4 foresters •Over 120 full-time personnel supported by NVFSC grant funding

SUMMER 2011

SUMMER 2011

Year 1 (08) year 2 (09) Year 3 (10) Year 4 (11)

Target Acres 1315 1755 2750 3225

Acres Treated 1585 2963 4126 4679

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

Cu

mu

latu

ve A

cre

s Tr

eat

ed

Fuels Reduction Treatments

2008 2009 2010 2011

Total 5413 10038 14035 18164

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

Defensible Space Inspections

SUMMER 2011

BLM Tahoe Grants USFS Tahoe Grants

$8,000,000 $5,000,000

BLM Nevada Grants

$1,000,000

-$500,000 -$500,000

Indirect Costs

-$1,500,000 -$1,000,000

•NVFSC declares bankruptcy

•$2.5 Million owed

•Zero assets

2012

•Lost trust from residents •Chapter leaders without support •Fire districts without funding •Strained communication with federal agencies

2012

•Re-engaging the public: •Block Parties •Community Work Days •Community Forestry Guides

2013 AND BEYOND

•Maintaining Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team Structure •Preparing for new funding opportunities •Minimizing financial risk from grants

2013 AND BEYOND

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far

less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.”

-John F. Kennedy

Strategies, Successes and Challenges

Front Range Fire Adapted Communities

Different ways to tell the story - Photo Series, Picto Charts,

STUDIO M – METRO STATE UNIVERSITY

Innovation in Engagement

K-12

Neighbors

Fire Professionals

Local Businesses (Restaurants, Equipment Rental Shops)

Local Professionals (Architects, Landscapers)

Training Workshops

On-Site Customer

Workshops

Round Tables

Kick-Off Event NFPA

Community Day of Service

Coupons Fuels Mitigation

Kits

Saw Crews

Neighborhood Work Days

Education Scouts, Honor

Society, Service Projects

Explaining the Risk and Expanding the Impact

Governmental Immunity, Liability and the Use of Rx fire in Colorado

Colorado's government would no longer have immunity from lawsuits over prescribed fires that get out of control under the terms of an agreement state leaders announced - www.denverpost.com

Next steps

FRFAC Kick Off Event – March 1, 2014 Day of Service Event – May 3 2014

Continue Fighting the Good Fight!