Download as PDF

Year 1 – 2025

Education and Outreach Goals

1. Gather data to assist with increasing participation in 2025 by 10% from June 2024 participation numbers.

2. Introduce and remind members to enter their time and expense through our online Community Investment Log to meet requirements of being a Firewise community and to measure our progress.

3. Conduct at least 4 in-person Board Meetings with additional Board collaboration via internet tools and document sharing.

4. Publish at least 4 newsletters via email with focus on sharing educational events, home hardening, defensible space, fuel reduction, and emergency/evacuation information along with a yearly update to all members on our progress as a Firewise community.

5. Investigate social media platforms to complement email communication with members.

6. Install Firewise road sign(s) which includes our email address after we receive recognition.

7. Invite community members to attend regional Firewise meetings and town halls related to Wildfire Preparedness.

8. Host an annual social event inviting local fire agencies and/or a representative of the Fire Safe Council to present pertinent topics in fire safety, home hardening, and fuel reduction.

9. Seek and apply for grant opportunities and other programs to support Martiswoods Firewise activities.

   
   

Home Hardening Goals

1. Gather data to use as a baseline to measure improvements in our home hardening goals.

2. Encourage residents to strengthen and improve their home by employing home hardening techniques recommended on the TFPD Home Hardening, Placer County and CalFire Ready for Fire websites. Promote awareness of home hardening programs offered by TFPD, CalFire and Placer County.

3. Focus on encouraging residents to replace attic, eave and crawl space vents with fire-resistant fine-mesh 1/8” or 1/16” screens, intumescent vents or other engineered vents to limit ember ingress into homes and to inspect open-eave areas for gaps where embers or flames might enter the attic and fill gaps with durable caulk and, if possible, consider enclosing the under-eave area with either a “soffit” or boxed-in eave design.

4. Focus on encouraging residents to maintain a roof free of debris and pine needles (gutters if applicable) throughout the fire season, repair roof damage and trim trees at least 10 feet away from the roof line to strengthen the “bubble” around the roof, chimney, eaves, decks, and stairs from limbs, paying close attention near the roof-to-siding interfaces.

5. Encourage residents to replace 5 feet of combustible fencing attached to the house with non-combustible/fire-resistant materials to reduce the chance of fire spreading to the home.

6. Encourage residents to consider using non-combustible/fire-resistant materials when replacing/building a deck or fencing.

7. Encourage residents with combustible siding to add non-combustible/fire-resistant skirting material around the bottom of their homes.

   
   

Defensible Space / Fuel Reduction Goals

1. Gather data to use as a baseline to measure improvements in our defensible space / fuel reduction goals.

2. Encourage residents to improve, strengthen and maintain defensible space around their homes by following the techniques recommended on the TFPD and CalFire Ready for Wildfire websites and to utilize green waste and fuel reduction programs offered by TFPD, CalFire and Placer County.

3. Conduct a community workday event to collectively reduce fuels and improve defensible space.

4. Focus on encouraging residents to maintain a combustible-free area in the first 0 to 5 feet (Zone 0) and improve hardscape around buildings and under decks, stairs and elevated walkways to strengthen Zone 0.

5. Focus on encouraging residents to store all firewood in an enclosed ember resistant container or completely cover in a fire-resistant material, such as a state fire marshal approved ember resistant tarp. If possible, relocate firewood to a location more than 30 feet from structures, and maintain a 10-foot clearance in all directions from pine needles, grasses, weeds, shrubs, small trees and overhanging limbs.

6. Encourage all residents to remove all extremely hazardous vegetation, such as juniper, from within at least 30 feet of a structure and 10 feet of a roadway or driveway.

7. Encourage all residents to manage combustible material in Zone 1 (5 - 30 ft) and Zone 2 (30+ feet) by using landscape breaks and remove all dead and dying vegetation to improve horizontal and vertical separation/spacing while maintaining trees, shrubs or other vegetation that are free of dead branches, well-spaced and well-pruned, to maintain a condition that avoids spread of fire to other vegetation or to a building or structure.

8. Maintain contact with USFS and local utility companies to mitigate fuel reduction on land surrounding our WUI neighborhood.

   
   

Evacuation Planning (Ex. Preparedness & Routing) and Wildfire Preparedness

1. Review evacuation plans with Placer County Office of Emergency Services (OES) annually and communicate most current information to our Firewise Community.

2. Encourage residents to prepare a personal evacuation plan which includes a “leave now” and extended prep and go plan and a “Go Bag”.

3. Encourage residents to sign up for Placer Alert. Promote awareness of additional on-line resources related to notifications, evacuations and fire activity in the area such as Watch Duty application and Nevada County Code Red.

4. Include evacuation planning and wildfire preparedness education and information with our annual social event.

5. Encourage homeowners to use reflective address signs to help emergency responders. “If they can’t find you, they can’t help you!”

   
   

Year 2 – 2026

Education and Outreach Goals

1. Increase participation by 10% from 2025 participation numbers.

2. Identify part-time residents and provide them with information about our Firewise Community and the benefits of achieving fire resiliency.

3. Identify owners of vacant lots and provide them with information about our Firewise Community and the benefits to achieving a fire resilient condition to prevent continued tree torching and ember production within the community during a wildfire.

4. Continue to conduct in-person Board Meetings with additional Board collaboration via internet tools and document sharing.

5. Continue to keep our community informed through electronic communication media on all Firewise information, including education, tips and best practices, events, programs and resources. Remind members to enter their time and expense on our online Community Investment Log.

6. Continue to provide a year-end update to all members on our progress as a Firewise Community.

7. Continue to host an annual social event inviting local fire agencies and/or a representative of the Fire Safe Council to present pertinent topics in fire safety, home hardening, and fuel reduction.

8. Continue to seek and apply for grant opportunities and other programs to support Martiswoods Firewise activities.

   
   

Home Hardening Goals

1. Increase home hardening by 10% over baseline data.

2. Continue to encourage residents to strengthen and improve their home by employing home hardening techniques recommended on the Truckee Fire Protection District (TFPD) Home Hardening and CalFire Ready for Fire websites and to utilize home hardening programs offered by TFPD, CalFire and Placer County.

3. Focus on encouraging residents with combustible siding to add non-combustible/fire-resistant skirting material around the bottom of their homes.

4. Continue to encourage residents to replace 5 feet of combustible fencing attached to the house with non-combustible/fire-resistant materials to reduce the chance of fire spreading to the home.

5. Continue to encourage residents to consider using non-combustible/fire-resistant materials when replacing/building a deck or fencing.

6. Continue to encourage residents to replace attic, eave and crawl space vents with fire-resistant fine-mesh 1/8” or 1/16” screens and to inspect open-eave areas for gaps where embers or flames might enter the attic and fill gaps with durable caulk and, if possible, consider enclosing the under-eave area with either a “soffit” or boxed-in eave design.

7. Continue to encourage residents to maintain a roof free of debris and pine needles (gutters if applicable) throughout the fire season, repair roof damage and trim trees at least 10 feet away from the roof line to strengthen the area around the roof, chimney, eaves, decks, and stairs from limbs.

   
   

Defensible Space / Fuel Reduction Goals

1. Increase defensible space / fuel reduction by 10% over baseline data.

2. Continue to encourage residents to improve, strengthen and maintain defensible space around their homes by following the techniques recommended on the TFPD and CalFire Ready for Wildfire websites and to utilize green waste and fuel reduction programs offered by TFPD, CalFire and Placer County.

3. Conduct a community workday event to collectively reduce fuels and improve defensible space.

4. Focus on encouraging residents to manage combustible material in Zones 1 and 2 by using landscape breaks and remove all dead and dying vegetation to improve horizontal and vertical separation/spacing while maintaining trees, shrubs or other vegetation that are free of dead branches, well-spaced and well-pruned, to maintain a condition that avoids spread of fire to other vegetation or to a building or structure.

5. Continue to encourage residents to store all firewood in an enclosed ember resistant container or completely cover in a fire-resistant material and, if possible, relocate firewood to a location more than 30 feet from structures.

6. Continue to encourage residents to maintain and strengthen a combustible-free Zone 0 and improve hardscape around buildings and under decks, stairs and elevated walkways.

7. Continue to encourage all residents to remove all extremely hazardous vegetation, such as juniper, from within at least 30 feet of a structure and 10 feet of a roadway or driveway.

8. Maintain contact with USFS and local utility companies to mitigate fuel reduction on land surrounding our WUI neighborhood.