Firewise is a neighborhood-led program focused on preparing for wildfires. Marin County has 68 Firewise neighborhoods, the most sites in the country, and new communities are continuing to see the value. Alta Molino is a new site and we wanted to share their experience and what motivated them to become part of Firewise.
Alta Molino had already started to organize as a Neighborhood Response Group (NRG), but like so many groups, only a few residents were carrying the workload and they needed support. A neighboring Firewise Leader encouraged this group to become a Firewise site and supported them by sharing advice and strategies for recruiting volunteers. Alta Molino continued to feel the support of other Firewise leaders in sharing best practices, and remained committed to what they were creating, even when it seemed like neighbors were not interested.
“What has surprised me is the power of our combined energy from our board. We all have a passion for becoming “firesafe” and now we will work to spread this passion to our neighbors. I think many of us have shied away from being more proactive due to lack of time and knowledge. We hope to help our neighbors better understand how we can protect ourselves, using all the great information and services available.”
-Terri Joe, FW Leader
The group has already seen the impact of becoming a Firewise site. Their neighbors are cutting back overgrown vegetation and using the free county chipper days, funded by the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority.
“Every little step helps to create defensible space. It was hard at first to remove those plants we have grown to love. But it’s a little like clearing out clutter from your garage. It feels good once you do it. I think neighbors will see a group purpose in cleaning up. It’s a group project that we each are participating in individually in our own homes, but we are all together working toward the end goal.”
-Marny Fisher, FW Leader
Alta Molino had a very positive response to their first get-together, “Neighborfest,” celebrating becoming a Firewise Neighborhood with 75 neighbors attending! The goal was to promote the newly formed Alta Molino NRG Firewise Community and for neighbors to meet neighbors, especially since there were many new faces in the community after Covid.
They also had several other goals, which they completed!
-To introduce their year 1 action plan goals.
-To get everyone signed up for Alert Marin.
-To share the key actions everyone can take to create Defensible Space.
-To share evacuation tips including packing a Go Kit and info for getting Clear Address signs.
This group of leaders shows the power of grassroots organizing and the impact it can have on the safety of the entire community.
Click here if you are interested in becoming a Firewise Community.
