Marin Wildfire shares their appreciation for 5 years of Chipper Days!
Approximately 5 years ago, in the middle of the pandemic, the Marin Wildfire Chipper Program (a.k.a. Chipper Days) quietly kicked off. While local vegetation removal programs had always existed in Marin, this was the first time that a centralized, tech-fueled, “curbside pickup program” had ever been attempted county-wide. We were excited to launch this new program and support the Defensible Space efforts taking place throughout Marin, we were unsure how it would be received by the public and what results it would generate.
Our initial concerns quickly disappeared. Residents enthusiastically embraced the program and demonstrated patience as we ironed out the kinks in Year 1. Just as important, a group of key leaders at Fire Safe Marin and Marin Wildfire stepped up and provided incredible support during those early hectic days. Former FSM Executive Coordinator Rich Shortall was the driving force behind the Chipper Program during Year 1. Not enough can be said about his efforts to build the program from scratch and rally support from others to ensure our ongoing success. Without Rich, there would be no Chipper Days!
Another former FSM staffer (and current Marin Wildfire Vegetation Management expert Kathleen Cutter) provided passion and energy in handling day-to-day operations. Meg McCabe and Jen Gauna generously shared their creative vision, communications expertise, and operational “know how” to the program (and still do to this day!). And Kaya Halpern’s marketing wisdom and social media skills were instrumental in “getting the word out” to the Marin County community.
Marin Wildfire’s Executive Officer Mark Brown, and Program and Project Manager Anne Creelock, two Wildfire Prevention experts and key leaders within our community, were also instrumental in the launch of the program and its ongoing growth. Mark and Anne quickly saw the value of the program and the bottom-line impact it could have on the Defensible Space efforts being undertaken by residents around Marin County. They urged their Board to embrace the program and ensured we had the resources to meet demand. The work of all these leaders has led to some impressive results for the program.
Since our launch in 2020, over 22,530 pickups have been completed and 84,200 cubic yards of vegetation removed. Public feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Just as important, residents continue to tell us that this program is a key reason why they have taken positive steps to create and maintain Defensible Space on their property.
Much has changed over the last five years. Since that first season, we’ve added more pickup events for residents to choose from, tightened our service window, and improved the end-to-end user experience. We continue to listen to resident feedback and remain focused on delivering excellent service year in and year out.
While much has changed, the purpose of our program has remained the same: assist Marin residents with their efforts to create and maintain Defensible Space around their homes by providing a free and convenient service for the disposal of their excess vegetation.
So, after 5 years, what’s the big takeaway? For us, the message is clear. When it comes to wildfire prevention, Marin residents continue to lead the way and demonstrate a commitment to doing their part to protect their homes and communities.
As we enter the final stretch of Year 5, we just wanted to take a moment to thank all our friends and supporters. Your efforts continue to inspire us everyday.
Thank you Marin County residents!
