Background
In 2004 in response to the clear danger presented by a build-up of volatile fire fuels across Napa County. a group of senior fire professionals and concerned community leaders formed Napa Firewise, a community-based fire awareness program designed to educate the public and encourage individuals to be proactive in preparing their property for greater fire protection. To allow more direct access to grant funding and tax incentives for supporters, Napa Firewise was incorporated in 2007 under section 501(c)(3) as the non-profit Napa Communities Firewise Foundation (NCFF).
In the wake of the 2020 Glass Fire and with a grant awarded by two years earlier from CAL FIRE, Napa Firewise led the effort to complete a comprehensive wildfire resilience plan known as the Countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). That plan identified key elements to a strategic wildfire preparedness effort. Those elements included Hazardous Fuels Reduction, Improving Defensible Space and Structure hardening and critical efforts around Community Outreach and Education.
Our Objectives
- Raise Awareness- Make people aware of their environment and the natural and man-made risks that wildland fire poses to them, their family, their property, and/or their business.
- Create Action- Identify strategic fuel reduction projects along roads, around community perimeters, and in wildland areas and secure the funds to complete those projects. Provide the citizens of Napa County with information and financial resource to implement specific steps to protect their families, property, and/or business in the event of a wildland fire. Educate citizens on the key aspects of fire behavior and how “fire-hardened” homes and buildings can survive, through improved defensible space and proper structure hardening techniques.
- Sustain Action- Engage county officials, funders, and residents to maintain a posture of vigilance so that we ensure the work that is completed around the county and at individual properties is maintained to protect the progress achieved through these resilience investments.
Our Philosophy
To create an atmosphere of sustained, shared responsibility helping the community help itself.