Becoming a Firewise USA® Recognized Community
This process typically takes a steering committee 2-6 months from start to Firewise USA application submittal, depending on community and steering committee engagement.
Are you and your neighbors interested in becoming a Firewise USA® Recognized Community? We will help you! We have put together a checklist to help guide you through this process.
1. Form a Steering Committee with a few proactive neighbors. Depending on the community size, a steering committee is typically a group of 3-4 proactive neighbors who are interested in organizing neighbors, sharing education, and collecting data for the Firewise USA® process. The commitment is typically one or more hours a week, depending on how quickly the application is being completed. The minimum community size is 8 primary dwellings.
2. Engage the Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County (FSCSCC) for assistance. This will include a presentation from a Firewise coach about the process and connect your groups with other Firewise neighborhoods. Contact:
3. Complete a Community Risk Assessment
4. Prepare a CALFIRE Three Year Action Plan, using observations from the Community Risk Assessment and your neighborhood priorities. The following areas need to be addressed in your plan for each of the next 3 years:
5. Complete a minimum of one Community Education Event related to wildfire risk reduction. See examples.
6. Meet the Wildfire Risk Reduction Investment criteria (minimum 1 hour or $28.50 per household for the year). See examples.
7. Create a Firewise USA® portal account
8. Submit your application!
*In order to customize and edit the Neighborhood Data Survey you will need to save a copy to your google drive.