Kern Fire Safe Council Accomplishments
Kern Fire Safe Council was incorporated in March 2020, just as the pandemic restrictions were being put in place. To begin public education, KFSC created a website and hosted live webinars with various disaster preparation and wildfire mitigation experts, which were then posted on the website.
Once pandemic restrictions were lifted, KFSC applied to and received awards from the California Fire Foundation (CFF) and Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (FACNET) which funded go-bags, evacuation supplies and printed materials for the public. With these in hand, KFSC partnered with Kern County Fire Department and the US Forest Service, to provide a school program to teach 4th & 5th graders disaster preparedness and wildfire prevention. Ready, Set, Go and Wildfire Prevention were taught in six wildland urban interface schools. These students brought home go-bags, emergency radios and information to jump start their family’s preparedness efforts.
KFSC received an award from the USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program for a community home ignition zone (HIZ) assessment project for the Mt. Pinos Communities, which will include some fuel reduction for homeowners CWGD Round 1).
Grant term is 10/1/2023 – 9/1/2028; and a second award to create an assessment and planning document for the Greater Tehachapi highways and roads which will be used to apply for future grant funds to implement projects identified that will improve emergency ingress and egress and reduce fire starts along those roadways (CWDG Round 2). The HIZ project is underway, and the roads project is awaiting final agreement paperwork.
In 2023 the CA Fire Safe Council awarded KFSC funding to hire a County Coordinator for Kern County (February 2023 – December 2024). The purpose was to identify and coordinate fire mitigation agencies and entities throughout Kern County. This was a very successful project as mitigators got together and will continue to collaborate on future projects. Through this project, Kern County now has its first Firewise community.
KFSC was recently awarded funding from CAL FIRE for two projects. One is to create a fuel break bordering the Hart Flat community (grant term ends 3/15/2030), and the other is to update the Kern County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (grant term 12/10/2024 – 3/15/2030).