7 Sonoma County Organizations Awarded Wildfire Safety Funding

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The California Fire Foundation, with support from The PG&E Corporation Foundation (The PG&E Foundation), has awarded wildfire safety grants to 19 local fire departments, fire agencies and community groups in PG&E’s North Coast Region, including in Sonoma County.

This is the sixth year these grants have been awarded to help communities bolster their disaster preparedness and response programs.

The wildfire safety grants — totaling $730,000 this year — have been distributed to agencies in high wildfire-risk areas with the goal of strengthening their disaster readiness and response. The grants announcement comes during National Preparedness Month, observed each September to raise awareness of the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that can happen at any time.

“All of us must work together to combat California’s growing wildfire threat, particularly in the North Coast where many High Fire Threat Districts are located, and where many of us have personally experienced the impacts of wildfires," said Dave Canny, vice president of PG&E's North Coast region. "We’re grateful for the opportunity to support the California Fire Foundation and help fund local fire departments and agencies in Napa County to help us all be better prepared and more resilient to disasters like wildfires."

The funding will be used:

• To purchase personal protective and specialized equipment for firefighters;
• Complete defensible space and vegetation management work, fuels and hazards reduction; and
• Conduct fire safety public education and outreach.

Here is the full list of 19 North Coast recipients in Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Lake, Marin and Napa counties:

To see a full list of grantees click here.

The PG&E Foundation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company support CFF’s broader 2023 Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program with $1.4 million in charitable funding. The program’s objective is to raise awareness about wildfire safety in more areas of California and bring resources to underserved communities in high fire-threat areas. The grants to local organizations are one core component of the WSPP.

“Californians are able to be better prepared for wildfires and other natural disasters because of the WSPP and our partnership with PG&E," said Rick Martinez, executive director of the California Fire Foundation. "These grants are helping implement projects ranging from fuels reduction and community education to obtaining new equipment for their firefighters with this direct funding. These projects aim to prepare and protect residents and grantees are beyond grateful to do just that for the communities they serve."

Since 2018, nearly 315 fire departments and fire agencies statewide have received $3.79 million in direct funding through the grant program as part of WSPP, and each year the program receives more applications than the prior year. Funding targets specific communities identified as having extreme or elevated fire risk as identified by the California Public Utilities Commission High Fire-Threat District map.

The WSPP focuses on two key areas to help keep communities safe:

• A wildfire safety campaign that features fire safety education, developed by CFF, in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hmong to promote early evacuation during fires. The WSPP has worked diligently to overcome language barriers by developing and distributing in-language fire-safety messaging. This campaign includes advertising on radio, television and digital ads, as well as outdoor billboards in high fire-threat areas.

• A grant program administered by the CFF through an application process. The CFF awards grants to recipient fire departments, agencies and community groups in support of projects and programs focusing on wildfire/disaster prevention, preparedness and/or relief and recovery assistance.

How the WSPP Help Communities

Grantees this year utilized grant funding for the following critical outcomes:

• 2,800 pieces of personal protection equipment(PPE) secured including helmets, boots, gloves, goggles, and fire shelters.
• Fuel reductions/vegetation management
  • 176 acres of hazardous tree and brush removal
  • 380,500 pounds of tree limbs, branches and other combustibles chipping and hauling
  • 25 prescribed fires or pile burns
• Fire safety education provided across Butte, El Dorado, Marin, Placer, San Luis Obispo, and Sonoma counties, potentially benefiting over 1.8 million residents.
• 236 pieces of specialized equipment which include:
  • 5,000 gal Water Storage Tanks
  • Portable Radios
  • Headlamps
  • Hoses/Clamps/Nozzles
  • Chainsaws
  • Gear Packs
• Total Estimated Impact:
  • 6.9 Million Residents

PG&E’s and The PG&E Foundation’s combined 2023 $1.4 million contribution continues a five-year collaboration with CFF. PG&E and The Foundation have provided $6 million in total support for fire safety awareness through the WSPP. The charitable contribution is shareholder-funded, not paid for by PG&E customers.

The CFF, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, aids firefighters, their families and the communities they protect. The CFF’s Firefighters on Your Side program, also supported by PG&E, provides multi-lingual, culturally relevant fire safety messaging in both digital and print form, to assist the public in staying safe.

The PG&E Corporation Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, separate from PG&E and sponsored by PG&E Corporation.