North County Fire awarded $7.4 million grant for vegetation management

The Cloverdale and Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection Districts, operating under a joint power authority as “North County Fire,” are set to receive $7.4 million in grant funding from FEMA and CalOES for fire prevention and vegetation management work in the wider Cloverdale area.

The work will include removing understory vegetation, creating shaded fuel breaks that promote keeping a wildfire from spreading into the tops of trees, and reducing embers in the highest priority areas in the fire district.

Phase I of the grant, scheduled to be completed by May 28, 2024, will focus on planning and environmental reviews to advance the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for developing shovel-ready projects that will be carried out in Phase II.

Local leaders who spoke about the grant at the public announcement event on July 15 included Jason Jenkins, Fire Chief of Cloverdale Fire; James Gore, Sonoma County District 4 Supervisor; Todd Lands, Mayor of Cloverdale; Geoff Peters, Program Manager of Northern Sonoma County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT); and Marshall Turbeville, Fire Chief of Northern Sonoma County Fire.

To see a video of the public announcement event, go to: https://youtu.be/LYguT0vRHJo.

In addition to the vegetation work to be performed, officials also discussed the successes of the community coming together to achieve progress.

CERT, which has a strong history of public-private partnerships for community benefit, played a critical role in obtaining the grant. “Public-private partnerships help to ensure the project is aligned with the needs and priorities of the community,” said Peters. “They can help to build trust and support for the project, which can be essential for its success. And they can help to identify and mitigate potential risks and challenges.”

The County of Sonoma’s Vegetation Management Grant Program provided the initial funding to complete the Cloverdale Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

“That CWPP was the basis for our grant application and without that seed funding, this would not have been possible,” Peters added.

Public-private partnerships have consistently produced results for the Cloverdale community, including installation of an emergency generator, fire cameras and radio tower, donations of emergency supplies and equipment, and seed funding for a health center.

Mayor Lands has seen Cloverdale benefit from these collaborations.

“By engaging the community, governments and the private sector have built stronger partnerships that deliver better outcomes for all,” said Lands. The future of our communities depends on our ability to work together. By building strong relationships and working towards common goals, we can create a brighter future for all.”

Supervisor Gore, whose district includes the Cloverdale area, has been a champion for resiliency through multiple wildfires and natural disasters and has pushed for partnerships, shared resources, and community involvement.

“I’m excited and inspired by the joint efforts of CERT and other community groups, fire districts, and city and county governments on an array of initiatives,” Gore said. “Our community coming together has always been the most productive way to forge progress in enhancing resiliency.”

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