As our region grapples with frequent wildfires and actively discusses the prevention of such events, the Community Foundation is proud to announce the award of a $95,000 grant in partnership with the League of California Community Foundations to re-establish the Shasta County Fire Safe Council – an organization that provides education and fuels reduction work to communities in the Shasta County region.
After years of non-existence, the Shasta County Fire Safe Council will be re-established thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of the North State. A grant award of $95,000 was provided through a partnership of the Community Foundation of the North State and the Disaster Relief, Recovery and Resilience Fund of the League of California Community Foundations. This grant award will provide for start up costs of the organization as well as initial operating support.
Fire safe councils serve the community by providing resources and information to mitigate wildfire risk including hazard and fuels reduction They also provide fire safety education for homeowners to establish escape routes, defensible space, and how to choose homebuilding materials more resistant to wildfires. “This grant award will help our newly formed organization in many ways including updating fuels reduction projects and their corresponding priority, setting up our charter, and coordinating with other area fire safe councils in our region. A Shasta County Fire Safe Council project is already underway near Lake McCumber. The Thatcher Project as it’s known, is a fuels reduction project that will allow for a fuel break and secondary escape route for residents along Ritts Mill Road near Shingletown and for Camp McCumber, a beloved summer camp for Shasta County kids”, says Jim Chapin, Executive Director of the Shasta County Fire Safe Council.
District 3 Supervisor Mary Rickert added, “It is so important to get the Shasta County Fire Safe Council operating again for forestry health and fuel reduction projects to mitigate the fire hazard in our many fire prone communities. We also need to focus on protecting the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) to keep our neighborhoods and cities safe from the devastating destruction of wildfires. The Fire Safe Council will connect and secure opportunities for grant funding to implement projects throughout the county.”
A key partner in wildfire recovery for our region has been the Community Foundation of the North State. Chief Executive Officer Kerry Caranci notes, “Over the last several years, we have seen millions of dollars donated to our community in the wake of the Carr and Zogg fires. Donations such as these have been critical to rebuilding for those most adversely affected by these disasters and we’ve been humbled to play a key role in the recovery process. We know, however, as disasters become more common around the world and donation amounts dwindle, it’s the prevention of wildfires and our collective investment in this proactive work that will make the ultimate difference for our community.”
For more information about the Shasta County Fire Safe Council contact Jim Chapin by phone at (530) 227-8900. For more information about this grant award and the Community Foundation, contact Kerry Caranci at (530) 244-1219 or email kerry@cfnorthstate.org
