- Author: Kathleen P Nolan
Dear Colleagues,
The CAL FIRE Fire Prevention Grants Program is accepting applications for the FY 2021 – 2022 funding cycle.
The Fire Prevention Program provides funding for local projects and activities that address the risk of wildfire, reduce wildfire potential, and increase community resiliency. Funded activities include hazardous fuel reduction, fire prevention planning, and fire prevention education with an emphasis on improving public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Examples of qualifying projects and activities are listed below.
Hazardous Fuels Reduction
- Vegetation clearance in critical locations to reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread.
- Creation or maintenance of fuel breaks in strategic locations, as identified in CAL FIRE Unit Fire Plans, a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or similar strategic planning document.
- Removal of ladder fuels to reduce the risk of crown fires.
- Creation of community-level fire prevention programs, such as community chipping days, roadside chipping, and green waste bin programs.
- Selective tree removal (thinning) to improve forest health to withstand wildfire.
- Modification of vegetation adjacent to roads to provide for safer ingress and egress of evacuating residents and responding emergency personnel.
- Reduction of fuel loading around critical infrastructure to maintain continuity of government and other critical services, including, but not limited to fire, police, power, water, sewer, roads, etc.
- Purchase of fuel modification equipment not to exceed $250,000. Equipment is an item exceeding $5,000 or more per unit cost and has a tangible useful life of more than one year. Vehicle purchases are ineligible costs.
- Supplies include items under $5,000 per unit cost. Chainsaws are an example of a supply item and are not considered equipment.
- Projects to improve compliance with defensible space requirements as required by Public Resources Code Section 4291 through increased inspections and assistance for low-income residents.
- Removal of dead and dying trees that pose a threat to public health and safety.
Fire Prevention Education
- Workshops, meetings, materials creation, and other educational activities with the purpose of increasing knowledge and awareness of information that could be used to reduce the total number of wildland fire and acres burned.
- To educate the public on wildfire mitigation and risk reduction strategies.
- Activities are subject to CAL FIRE approval.
Fire Prevention Planning
- Wildfire risk or related mapping
- Creation or update of strategic wildfire planning documents, such as:
- Evacuation plans
- Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP)
- Local Hazard Mitigation Plans
- Safety Elements
- Wildfire prevention plans
- Research to determine standards for structural codes and regulations
- Development of evacuation plans
- Creation or updates to wildfire mitigation plans
Applications must be submitted no later than May 19th, 2021 by 3:00 PM PDT. Overview of the grant program, application process and workshop details will be posted on the Fire Prevention Grants webpage.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)