The Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities, formed September 2017, is an all-volunteer organization (no staff, no dues and no budget) which works with, but is not related to, the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County. We are representatives and residents of about 100 Firewise Communities (FWCs) in Nevada County -- that number includes more than 60 NFPA-certified FWCs and the rest "in the pipeline" for certification. Individual FWCs, as part of a well-respected national movement, are certified through, and supported by, the Fire Safe Council.

The Coalition was created to bring FWC representatives together every month to share ideas and information with each other and to amplify the county-wide effort to educate residents on wildfire preparedness. We work hard in our neighborhoods to promote safe practices in a dangerous wildfire environment. The Coalition may also sometimes act as a "voice of the people" in advocating for better fire-safe practices and policies.

In early 2020 the Coalition moved to online Zoom meetings that we later opened to the public. Our meetings are recorded and available in our Archive. Our email list has grown to more than 500 people concerned about wildfire.

In addition to holding educational meetings and maintaining this website of resources, the Coalition also creates easy-to-understand documentation to address frequently asked questions. These documents, which can be found with other materials on our Education Resources page, include Roadside Clearing Regulations for both County and City residents; What Do You Do When Your 100 feet of Defensible Space Goes Onto a Neighbor's Property?; and How to Stay Informed During Wildfire Season.

• FORM OF ORGANIZATION: The Coalition is an unincorporated nonprofit association as defined by California Corporations Code Section 18020(a).
• MISSION: The Coalition promotes fire safety through advocacy, education, and community involvement with other stakeholders interested in working toward stronger fire safety practices.
• GOAL: To support the formation and functioning of neighborhood-based Firewise Communities through information-sharing and collaborative problem-solving, in coordination with key public and private Nevada County organizations, in the recognition that fire is everyone's fight. 
• MEMBERSHIP:
  • All Nevada County residential communities certified as a “Firewise Community” under the NFPA’s Firewise USA Program, plus those considered “in training” by the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, are Members of the Coalition. Individual county residents may also join. "Joining" simply means getting on our mailing list. There are no dues.
  • Each member Firewise Community (both NFPA-certified and in training) may designate one representative to vote on occasional pieces of Coalition business (e.g., advocacy positions, by-law changes). If that representative cannot attend a meeting, another member of that community may fill in for him or her.
  • A member may terminate membership at any time by notifying the Coalition Chair in writing or by email.

Our regular meeting time is the first Tuesday of every month at 5:30 pm (unless re-scheduled due to holiday/weather).

We met at Esterly Hall (Nevada County Association of Realtors), 336 Crown Point Circle, in Grass Valley until early 2020. Our meetings are now held on Zoom until we can meet in person again. Join our mailing list to get the Zoom link information.

Our meetings are now recorded. Videos of our past meetings are here on our YouTube Channel.

Officers
Chair - Scott Beesley
Vice Chair - Nick Johnson
Secretary - Virginia Gompertz
Technical Support/Communications - Jeff Peach

Steering Committee members
Kristen Cook
Bob Long
Susan Rogers

By Laws
Coalition-Bylaws - Final Approved Mar2021.pdf
Coalition Creation - Press Release December 2017
Chair and Vice Chair Job Description - Coalition-Position-Descriptions.pdf

Join the Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities Email List - Stay Informed!
How to Stay Informed During Wildfire Season 18Jul2021.pdf

Click here for a Countywide Map of Firewise Communities (also shows In-Training Communities) as of November 2021

Are you a leader or committee member of a Firewise Community (FWC) looking for help in administering your FWC? This section of our website has information and resources to help you.

Are you in a Firewise USA^® community? 

The Nevada County website hosts an interactive map showing the current NFPA-recognized Firewise USA® communities (FWC), plus those "In-Training" which are being developed and sponsored through the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County. You can use this interactive GIS map on that website to find out if you're already in a FWC. Read the directions for use below - there are no instructions on the map page.

Directions: Type your home address (or any other address) into the white box on the map and click 'enter'. This will locate and place a dot on the map showing the address location. Each FWC has a different background color - the colors are subtle and can be checked against the Legend to the left. By scrolling out SLOWLY, it will show the names of the FWC and its neighbors. If you scroll out further to the county level, only the colors are shown. Scroll IN from the address-dot level and the street name can be seen. "In Training" neighborhoods that are developing their FWC status and have an accepted map are identified with a uniform yellow background.

An alphabetical list of CERTIFIED FIREWISE COMMUNITIES and individual FWCommunity maps can be found on the Fire Safe Council website here: https://www.areyoufiresafe.com/programs/firewise-usa. If you have trouble locating the individual map for your Firewise Community, contact the Fire Safe Council to send a message to Pat Leach, the Firewise Communities Coordinator.

How to become a Firewise Community brochure: onscreen version. This version of our tri-fold brochure is easiest to read on-screen, but printing it requires legal-size paper (8 1/2 x 14). PDF

How to become a Firewise Community brochure: print-at-home version. 8 1/2 x11, 6 pages PDF

What is an "In Training" Firewise Community? These are neighborhoods that are developing the steps necessary to become a Firewise Community. Many are waiting for their Hazard Assessment to be performed and documented by a qualified fire expert, with funding obtained by the Fire Safe Council (there is no cost to the neighborhood itself). The Community then creates its own 1-to-2 page Action Plan based on the Assessment, and the Fire Safe Council registers the new Firewise Community with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Prior to certification, all "in training" communities are encouraged to act like a certified Firewise Community, have one or more representatives attend monthly Coalition meetings, etc.

[All documents on this site are safe to download. If your virus blocker prevents access, use our Ask A Question contact form to specify what you'd like to get, and we'll email them to you directly.]

Best of the Best education resources:

(scroll down for even more)

Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire - Watch giant nozzles blow burning embers at mock "houses" in a monster testing facility. In this 13-minute video with great visuals, Dr. Jack Cohen, Fire Science Researcher with the USDA Forest Service, explains current research about how homes ignite during wildfires. You will be inspired and feel more confident that the action steps you take after watching this can help your home survive the impacts of flames and embers.

Wildfire Defensible Space: Zone Zero - 7-minute video about the most important defensible space zone, 0-to 5 feet around your house. See description below in the OUTSIDE category.

The best information about home hardening (what you need to do in and around your buildings) is from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). These are comprehensive, detailed and based on scientific research  performed by people who aren't trying to sell you anything. Download the first checklist and then either the second "everything" guide or the individual fact sheets (in the third bullet):

• An 11-page Wildfire Home Assessment & Checklist
• A 40-page Protect Your Property From Wildfire guide, covering roof covering, gutters, vents, windows and doors, decks/patios/porches, siding, fences, outbuildings, fuel tanks and more.
• Don't want 40 pages? The IBHS has split the guide into individual Research Fact Sheets here on the NFPA website-- get only the topics you want: Attic & Crawl Space Vents; Fire-Retardant Coatings; Decks; Exterior Sprinkler Systems; Fencing; Fire Spread on Ember-Ignited Decks; Roofing Materials; Skylights; Under-Eave Construction, and Immediate (noncombustible) Zone around your house.

How to Get Alerts and Stay Informed During Wildfire Season  One page with where to find weather advisories, how to sign up for emergency alerts, and, during an ACTUAL EMERGENCY, how to stay updated and informed. Print and post it on your refrigerator!

Roadside Clearing Regulations: make your roads safe for firefighters to get IN and for you to get OUT. This unofficial one-page PDF with diagrams, created by the Coalition of Firewise Communities, tells you the requirements in the unincorporated County, City of Grass Valley and Nevada City, for clearing back from the sides of private roads. There are three times as many private roads in the County as there are public roads, and the property owners are responsible for meeting these requirements. See "Rules & Enforcement" for how to report violations of these roadside clearing regulations.

What do you do when your 100 feet of defensible space goes onto a neighbor's property? Or onto government land? What if your neighbor refuses to clear her property? The five-page document linked here, "What If Your 100 Feet of Defensible Space Goes Beyond Your Property Line?," tells you how to proceed under different scenarios. Read additional detail on our Rules & Enforcement page.

In addition to the above, check out these other great resources (many from past Coalition meetings).

OUTSIDE: defensible space, landscaping, generators

• KCRA 2-minute news clip on well-managed forest and a homeowners' defensible space - Summer 2021, Caldor Fire.
• Defensible Space: good diagrams & information from the Cal Fire website, ReadyforWildfire.org, explaining state law requirements for defensible space. The website also has information on fire-resistant landscaping.
• Wildfire Defensible Space: Zone Zero - outstanding short (7-minute) video reflecting the newest research (also mentioned on the Cal Fire site above) about "Ground Zero," the 0-to-5 foot Zone Zero around your home that has been proven to be key to reducing your home's risk of burning down. Great visuals. Prefer written format? Here's a one-page PDF from the IBHS.
• Firewise Garden Design 21 slide PDF (incl. photos) from the March 2020 Coalition meeting, by landscape designer Sheri Brown Dion. In this 12-minute video, Sheri discusses the last 5 slides which are about plant selection. Here's a PDF with a few Reference Websites for Fire Resistant Planting. 
• Landscaping Tips to Help Defend Your Home from Wildfire, a 53-slide Powerpoint PDF with many visuals, by Master Gardener Cathé Fish. Here is the 10-year-old "Firewise Plants for Western Nevada County" document (the most recent available) referred to in her slides.
• Prescribed Burn Information - see this page, last bullet point.
• 30-Second Visual of Defensible Space Brush Clearing compared to Not Cleared/Not Defensible (Marty Main, 2018). Another 30-second of Looks Good vs Dangerous Mess (Jeff Peach, 2021).
• Generators: What Kind to Buy and How to Run it Safely -- by Greg Cameron, October 2020 Coalition speaker: Comprehensive presentation on types of generators, pros and cons of each type, how-to tips, and how to stay safe while using a generator.
• Generator Safety Tips & Burn Piles/Permit (with photos) October 2019  - Cal Fire Chief Jim Mathias talks about preventing generator-related fires and being safe with burn piles. This site  tells you when it's a burn day (in unincorporated county only, prohibited in GV/NC city limits).
• How to stay safe using a generator- easy 2-pager from Consumer Reports, Sept 2019

YOUR HOUSE: protecting your dwelling

• Be Ember Prepared: Will Your House Survive When the Embers Arrive? From the University of Nevada, Reno, a 26-minute video demonstrating that no matter what you do about defensible space, it's little things in and around your house that can determine if your house burns down (or not). This and the one with Dr. Jack Cohen (top of this page) are the BEST VIDEO RESOURCES we've seen because they focus on the ember storm that is responsible for most burned homes.
  
• Home Hardening Priorities & Resources - 12 slides linking you to the home-hardening information  (click on the gold words) at Cal Fire, NFPA, UCCE and IBHS, by Kristen Cook, Coalition Steering Committee, from the April 2021 meeting.
• Cal Fire's "Hardening Your Home" page, with downloadable "Low-cost Retrofit List" and other materials.
• You Can Reduce the Chance of Your Home Burning - December 2019 Meeting - 27-slide PDF from Dr. Kate Wilkins from UC Extension
• National Fire Prevention Assoc. Videos
  • 2-minute video, “If Your Home Doesn't Ignite it Can't Burn” 

  • 
4-minute video “5 Key Areas Around the Home you Must Examine when Assessing Wildfire Risk.”
  • 4-minute video “Your Home and Wildfire, Choices that can Make a Difference.”

• How I Changed My House Vents to 1/8" Screen - 29-slide Powerpoint PDF with photos showing every step of the DIY project by Susan Rogers, from the Nov 2019 Coalition meeting, or one-page summary (no photos).
• A 44-page Home Inventory Guide flipbook from the state Insurance Commissioner's office. Download it, print it and fill it out, so you're ready if you need to make a claim. (OR use your phone to video-record the contents of every room in your house, including the contents of all closets, cabinets and drawers. Narrate the video with the same information in the flipbook, e.g. when purchased, amount paid, etc.)

YOU & YOURS: how to prepare, evacuating

• CodeRED EXPLAINER: a 2-sided PDF showing the differences between the County CodeRED Emergency Alert System, the CodeRED Mobile App, and other alerts you may receive. Clearly shows why you need to be signed up for our Nevada County CodeRED System. The County also has a very simple, clear graphic chart on this page (scroll down past the video Overviews).
• Know Your Evacuation Zone - see the County of Nevada section below, third bullet point. It's vital to know your Evacuation Zone number.
• The Hi-Lo Siren means your life and property are under imminent threat. Learn what the Hi-Lo Siren sounds like (2:30min County video) because it means "YOU MUST LEAVE NOW." 

Lists and Checklists:

• How to Get Alerts and Stay Informed During Wildfire Season -- one page listing all the ways to stay informed and get status updates during an actual emergency.
• Important Documents You Will Need - a checklist of what you need to have ready to take with you when evacuating, including what wildfire survivors say they wished they'd taken. In PDF format or Word docx format you can customize to your situation.
• Walking-Out-the-Door checklists to post in/near your garage: Evacuation Plan Before Wildfire Gets to Your House.pdf, ready to use, by the Coalition's Evacuation Committee. Also check out the Wildfire Evacuation Checklist 2-sided PDF from Marin County, which is very detailed with great information. Many people use these as guides for creating their own customized checklist.

Take the Advice of Firefighters:

• What you can do 6-12 Hours Before Evacuation from Chief Matt Wallen, Cal Fire, at the June 2021 Coalition meeting, in multiple formats: 
  • 5-Minute Condensed version video
  • the full-length video (15 minutes) of Chief Wallen discussing his five slides in more detail.
  • downloadable 2-page PDF with the same information in list format
• What to Wear (and supplies to take) When You Evacuate by former firefighter Christopher Reilly, in multiple formats: 
  • 5-minute Condensed version video;  
  • the full-length video (13 minutes) of Chris discussing his slides in more detail.
    
• Safety During an Evacuation & What If You Are Trapped from Chief Jim Mathias, Cal Fire in multiple formats: 
  • 5-minute Condensed version video; 
  • the full-length video (17 minutes) of Chief Mathias discussing his seven slides in more detail.
    
    
• 
Leaving Early: How to Make That Decision, with Susan Rogers of the Coalition of Firewise Communities, is a 22-slide PDF reviewing how and why you should leave ahead of official notices, and how to make that decision more easily and with less hesitation. Here's the 13-minute video from 2020 with Susan discussing the slides with additional commentary.
• Frequently asked questions about evacuation (and the answers) from the chat box of the 2020 All-County Educational Event.
• During a Wildfire, Your Phone Might Stop Working. How Can You Communicate? KQED article with an excellent graphic at the end to download and keep on your cellphone.

What is the County of Nevada doing about wildfire preparedness?

Answer: A LOT! Visit the County's emergency preparedness website, ReadyNevadaCounty.org, for links to many great resources.

• Ready/Set/Go Handbook - 36-page official Handbook for Wildfire Safety and Emergency Preparedness. This is the one mailed to every residential address in the county, every year.
• CodeRED Emergency Alerts - official county alerts sent by phone, text and/or email. Sign up for CodeRED Emergency Alerts on this page.
• Know Your Evacuation Zone: click here to find out what your Zone Number is for your home or business address (type your address into the upper left box). When evacuation warnings/orders are issued, they will be by Zone Number, NOT by street names (NOT "south of Ridge Road, west of Hwy 20" etc.). Enter your address in the white search box (upper left of map) to find out YOUR zone number. Write it down! Post it on your refrigerator and make it a Contact in your cellphone (First name: "Evacuation," Last name: "Zone"). Here's a PDF you can make into a large, printed map of ALL ZONES: Evacuation Zone Map Packet - Nevada County.pdf
  
• The Ready Nevada County Dashboard has many helpful features. In a wildfire event large enough to trigger the opening of the County's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the Dashboard is where you will find constantly updated information on fire status, evacuations, available shelters and more.
• Hi Lo Siren County Video - hear what the "YOU MUST LEAVE NOW" warning siren sounds like.
• Neighbors refusing to clear their hazardous vegetation in unincorporated Nevada County? Register for a free Citizen Access account and Request a Defensible Space Inspection by a county inspector who has the authority to enforce county codes. (If you live in the city of Grass Valley or Nevada City, the steps for reporting a hazard can be found on page 5 of this document.)
• County Road Vegetation Maintenance - then-County Department of Public Works Director Trisha Tillotson, in the April 2021 Coalition meeting, showed these 14 slides to illustrate their plan for brush clearing for safer ingress and egress on County roads.

Other Resources

• The  2021 Wildfire Season Preparedness Guide from the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County
• Are you a survivor of wildfire? Was your home lost or damaged? The Summer 2021 California Wildfires Helping Handbook: A Resource for Individuals, Families, and Small Businesses, is 80+ outstanding pages of information and resources available for Nevada County residents after the River Fire triggered FEMA assistance. Chapters include Housing, Insurance, FEMA, Personal Finances & Taxes, Document & Record Replacement, and more.
• Information to help property owners who are dealing with PG&E’s powerline tree clearing on private parcels Sept 14, 2018
  

The March 2021 Coalition meeting was on the topic of insurance, with three speakers giving background from a state, county and local (Fire Safe Council) perspective. A 53-minute edited video of just those speakers can be viewed here.

Many local residents are facing cancellation of their homeowners insurance. Unfortunately, almost nothing can be done at the local level to help with this problem. This page provides a few resources that might help you figure out your next steps.

You may not know that all local insurance agencies, even those affiliated with the same national brand, are independently owned brokerages that have different relationships with different Surplus Line Insurers (see definition of that below). This means that if one Allstate (for example) agent can't help you, another Allstate agent might be able to. You have to make a lot of phone calls. Call around. 

List of Approved Surplus Line Insurers (LASLI) 

What does "Surplus Lines" mean? Often called the “safety valve” of the insurance industry, surplus lines insurers (which are usually non-admitted carriers, see below) fill the need for coverage in the marketplace by insuring those risks that are declined by the standard underwriting and pricing processes of admitted insurance carriers.

Admitted vs Non-Admitted Insurance Company - what does that mean? PDF

Website of the California Fair Plan - insurer of last resort. 

Watch this video of the town hall held in Grass Valley on August 23, 2019 with state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, which has helpful information for those who are being non-renewed. To avoid local politician's opening remarks, skip to the 6-minute mark to start watching.

As of early 2021, Commissioner Lara has made progress in providing  resources relative to wildfire and insurance concerns. Here is the website page for Wildfire Response and Readiness on the California Department of Insurance website.

The following relates to Coalition activities only -- not helpful for individual residents

Insurance Questionnaire PDF For Coalition Survey

Insurance Questionnaire Word (Type directly onto document and return to Bob as attachment)

Fire Threat Areas - Map from the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC)

The Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities (the website where you are now) and the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County are two separate, not-related organizations. Visit our Coalition of Firewise Communities' About Us page for information about our all-volunteer organization, which has no staff, no dues and no budget.

The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County is a public benefit, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with paid full-time and part-time staff and a board of directors. It was formed in 1998 and is funded by grants, memberships,  donations and fee-for-service programs.

Track chipper available from Fire Safe CouncilThe Fire Safe Council coordinates the formation of individual Firewise Communities (FWCs), and manages their certification (and re-certification) through the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA). Because the Coalition has no funding or budget, the Fire Safe Council makes its online Zoom account available for Coalition use and pays for the Coalition's website hosting and meeting space rental.

Coalition monthly meeting agendas always include a report from a representative of the Fire Safe Council, typically the executive director, the FWC coordinator, or the board chair. 

The Fire Safe Council's office has a wealth of literature from various fire agencies that will help homeowners on virtually any wild-fire related topic. They offer a chipping program, a Special Needs Assistance Program for low-income elderly and disabled, and other services. At their website, you can request a free visit from a trained, volunteer Defensible Space Advisor who will come to your property and help you learn what needs to be done to reduce risks around your home.

Visit the Fire Safe Council website. The Council's phone number is (530) 272-1122, and their address is 143 B Spring Hill Drive, Suite 13, Grass Valley, CA 95945. Check their website for office hours. Park in the spaces marked with white letters "OCS" at the edge of the lot facing Spring Hill Drive. Many spaces directly in front of their office are marked/reserved for other businesses .

Fire Threat Areas - Map

Sign up for Alerts about when PGE will turn off power. Register for power shut off notifications here.

Manage Trees and Plants Near Powerlines

PG&E Community Wildfire Safety Program - Information on the PGE - COMMUNITY WILDFIRE SAFETY PROGRAM  - Working together to create fire defense zones around power lines.

Contact - Joanne Drummond, local PG&E representative for the Community Wildfire Safety Program

Joanne Drummond
Vegetation Program Manager, CEMA - Fuels Reduction
Joanne.Drummond@pge.com | Office (530) 889-3166 | Cell (530) 510-1064

Articles about PGE

• Information to help property owners who are dealing with PG&E’s powerline tree clearing on private parcels Sept. 14, 2018

Enforcement

Enforcement Document Action Plan - Formally adopted by coalition vote, February 27, 2018

Evacuation

Evacuation Document Action Plan - Formally adopted by coalition vote, February 27, 2018

Emergency Alert Buddy SystemPDF 

Emergency Alert Buddy System  Word (For editing to accommodate your FWC)

Emergency Alert Buddy System PowerPoint  - Virginia Gompertz - Lake Wildwood

Real Estate

Rea Estate