2015-16 State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund Grant Applications Now Available – 11/9/15

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CAL FIRE has just announced $5,000,000 available through the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund for projects that reduce the wildfire threat to habitable structures in a State Responsibility Area (SRA).   The maximum grant is $100,000, of which no more than $40,000 can be for equipment.  No match is required, though it does add to the competitiveness of the proposed project.  Eligible grantees include local government, fire districts, community services districts, water districts, special districts, certified local conservation corps, Fire Safe Councils, and other 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

Qualifying projects and activities include those related to hazardous fuel reduction, fire prevention planning, fire prevention education, and training that reduce the risk and potential impact of wildfire on habitable structures in the SRA. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Hazardous Fuel 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 (CWPP), or similar strategic planning document
  • Removing ladder fuels to reduce the risk of crown fires
  • Removing dead and dying trees
  • Community level fire prevention programs, such as community chipping days, roadside chipping, and green waste bin programs
  • Elective 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 firefighting infrastructure such as fire hydrants, water drafting locations, and staging areas

 Fire Prevention Education and Training

  • Fire prevention public education

 Fire Prevention Planning

  • Wildfire risk or related mapping
  • Creation of strategic wildfire planning documents, such as a CWPP

Applications are due on January 7, 2016.  Please review the web site and the Procedural Guide for more information.