Angwin is a rural enclave located on Howell Mountain, between the Napa Valley on the west and Pope Valley on the east. Surrounded by forest and vineyards, Angwin is an unincorporated community and is home to the four-year Pacific Union College (PUC) Campus and Preparatory School, an 8-acre commercial area of businesses, along with the Angwin Volunteer Fire Department, the Angwin Airport (1 of 2 airports in Napa County and the only up-valley airport), plus various home-based businesses and wineries. Vineyards cover approximately one-third of the acreage in the Angwin area outside the residential and commercial areas. The community’s overall “sense of place” and character is largely derived from its agrarian and forested environment.
About the Angwin FSC
The all-volunteer Angwin Fire Safe Council (AFSC) formed in August 2015 with the assistance of the Napa Communities Firewise Foundation (NCFF). The Angwin boundary includes 4.8 square miles with 12,668 acres. Per the 2020 Census, Angwin has about 1,000 homes and over 3,179 permanent residents, plus about 900 college students not included in the Census, bringing the total population to approximately 4,079. The fire hazard severity in Angwin is considered “very high” (Napa County General Plan, 2009). Complicating the threat of fire, Angwin has a single narrow, winding road that traverses Howell Mountain from Napa Valley to Pope Valley.
Latest News
Upcoming Events
Angwin Fire Safe Council (AFSC) meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm – 8:30pm, at the Angwin Fire Department located at 275 College Ave, Angwin.
Projects
Angwin Project History
The Angwin Community Wildfire Protection Plan (ACWPP) identifies community hazard reduction projects based on a professional community risk assessment sponsored by Napa Communities Firewise Foundation (NCFF) in 2015. Projects are listed in the ACWPP. Implementation of the identified projects has been based on Angwin Fire Safe Council (AFSC) submitting applications to various grant funding sources to address these projects for the community from 2016-2021.
AFSC successfully obtained grant funding to accomplish fuel-load reduction work for the community as shown on each of these maps for the years 2016-2021.
In 2020, the Napa Community Firewise Foundation prepared a county-wide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) to help Agencies, Fire Safe Councils, Communities, and local homeowners define, plan and prioritize actions to limit damage from the inevitability of wildland fire. The county-wide CWPP entails the collaboration of local, state, and federal agency representatives, and other interested parties, such as individual property owners, and special interest groups. In addition to the county-wide CWPP, NCFF prepared a Five-Year Plan that prioritizes fuel reduction countywide and recommends types and methods of treatment. This Five-Year Plan was presented to the Napa County Board of Supervisors in April 2021. The Board allocated funding for Year 1 and committed to working with all of the partners to identify funding options for subsequent years.
NCFF will now be applying for mitigation grants for large county mitigation projects as identified in the Five-Year Plan. Individual Fire Safe Councils are expected to raise some funding which can be used for smaller projects and as a match when seeking funding from other sources. Click on the Donate tab on this website to link to the NCFF website where one can donate directly to Angwin Fire Safe Council.
Resources
- Angwin Fire Department: Support our local Angwin Volunteer Fire Department and check out their new website. Learn when and how to apply for burn permits, donate to help with their ongoing projects at the firehouse and explore more resources.
- Firefighters On Your Side provides multilingual fire safety information. The focus is on providing resources to traditionally underserved communities. Information is provided in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog and English. Materials are free to download and use.
- Angwin Landscape Do’s and Don’ts
- Angwin Landscaping Tips & Tricks
- Defensible Space Landscaping
- Napa Community Animal Response Team
- Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), Napa Valley
Angwin Fire Safe Council Boundaries
Know Your Neighborhood
In a disaster such as a wildland fire, earthquake, pandemic, or other broad-based emergency, your most immediate source of help are the neighbors living around you. The first hour is most effective in saving lives, reducing the severity of injury, and reducing property and environmental damage. The reality is that most neighborhoods will be on their own for the first hours, days, or weeks following disaster. If people have been hurt, if there is a fire, if property has been damaged, the real first responders will be you and your neighbors. Fire, sheriff, medical, and 9-1-1 personnel will be overwhelmed dealing with immediate life-threatening demands.
Contributing as an individual and working together as a team helps develop stronger communities and improve the quality of life in the community. Get to know your neighbors. Who knows what? Who has what? Who can do what? Identify the skills and equipment each neighbor has that are useful in an effective disaster response. Knowing which neighbors have supplies and skills ensures a timely response to a disaster and allows everyone to contribute to the response in a meaningful and timely way. It is important that you become 2 Weeks Ready.
How big should my neighborhood be? A typical city block, corner to corner, both sides of the street can be 15-25 homes. In a rural area such as Angwin, the “neighborhood” should include only as many homes as can comfortably be checked on in an hour or two. When disaster strikes, we tend to respond to those things we can see. At minimum, know your neighbors on each side of your own property.
Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) is a unique program that brings neighbors together to plan for emergencies. In Napa County, MYN is sponsored by Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). COAD provides MYN training and resources to better prepare Napa County residents for potential hazards and disasters. These Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) Discussion Guides are provided in both English and Spanish.