The increased risk of wildfires in California has created an urgency to improve homes’ resistance to ignition. These improvements, known as home hardening measures, are simple, low-cost retrofits for buildings and structures to decrease their flammability potential. There is a real and growing need for a skilled workforce to harden homes in fire-prone California.
Additionally, the cost of living in this state is increasing at the fastest rate in the nation. The Home Hardening Program meets community demand for home hardening while training a workforce with skills for upward economic mobility. The program aims to train a workforce new to construction work in home hardening methods. These skills will build community resiliency by fortifying community structures and adding a line of defense to wildfires.
The Home Hardening Program was initiated by Fire Safe Marin, a non-profit dedicated to reducing fire hazards, promoting fire safety awareness, and helping Marin County residents prepare for wildfires. Collaborators to the program are from FIRESafe Sonoma, North Bay Workforce Alliance, Fire Farms, Conservation Corps North Bay, and UC Davis D-Lab. Fire Safe Marin will play an advisory and community outreach role as the program grows.
This proposal will provide the steps needed to implement a program that meets the demand for home hardening improvements and train low-income community members in technical skills to harden homes. This proposal includes an itemized budget of equipment, training, and wages; a template to identify and organize potential grant opportunities; a basic training program; an equipment list to begin this program; and a list of resources in California to connect with low-income employees.
