Greetings from the California Fire Safe Council!
We are excited to provide this newsletter on upcoming events and fire safe news.
IN THIS ISSUE..
-CFSC Board Meeting Schedule
-Mark your Calendar for RAST’s Fire Summit 2014
-Register for a 2014 Grant Award Workshop
-Firewise Communities/USA
-Margaret Grayson addresses National Association of Conservation Districts
-The Super Circular is Here
-Fire Safe Events
CFSC Happenings
~CFSC Board Meeting Schedule~
The California Fire Safe Council Board of Directors invites and encourages the public to attend its board meetings. Attendees are encouraged to participate in the Public Comment portion of the open session. Five minutes is allotted to each person wishing to address the board, for a maximum of 45 minutes of public comments. Closed sessions are not open to the public.
Next Meeting:
May 15, 2014
Time To Be Determined
Southern California Air Quality Management District Headquarters
21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765−4182
Save the Date:
Regional Area Safety Taskforce (RAST) Fire Summit
May 14, 2014
Southern California Air Quality Management District Headquarters
21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765−4182
View the 2014 CFSC Board meeting Schedule
~2014 Grant Award Workshops~
Congratulations to the 2014 Clearinghouse preliminary selected grant projects. Organizations whose projects were selected must attend an upcoming Grant Award Workshop. Registration can be found here.
The free Grant Award Workshops are taught by CFSC Grant Managers and provide an in-depth look at the grant process, federal grant requirements, progress reporting and so much more! The workshop is an excellent opportunity to bring your organization's treasurer/accountant or Board member and obtain a sneak-peek into grant expectations and requirements. A representative from Bureau of Land Management will be there to answer questions about the environmental compliance process.
April 1: Duarte (Los Angeles County)
City of Duarte Community Center
1600 Huntington Drive, Duarte 91010
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
April 8: Redding (Shasta County)
Shasta-Trinity NF Supervisors Office
3644 Avtech Parkway (Redding Airport)
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
April 9: Rio Linda (Sacramento County)
Sac Metro Fire Station 111
6609 Rio Linda Blvd, Rio Linda 95673
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
April 17: Fresno(Sanger): (Fresno County)
Cal Fire Fresno-Kings Unit HQ, 210 S. Academy
Sanger 93657, main conference room
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
~Executive Director Margaret Grayson Addresses National Association of Conservation Districts ~
Executive Director Margaret Grayson gave a keynote speech during the General Session of the National Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting on February 4, 2014. Her speech, titled ”A Unique Approach to Wildfire in California" covered a brief history of California Fire Safe Council, it's work through the Grants Clearinghouse and success stories with local Resource Conservation Districts (RCD). Did you know that CFSC has funded at least one RCD every year from 2005 through 2013? She concluded her speech by applauding the hard work of local organizations for their fire safe efforts.
Other speakers at the conference included Robert Bonnie, Undersecretary for Environmental and Natural Resources, USDA; Jason Weller, Acting Chief, National Conservation Resources Services; and Nancy Stoner, EPA, Acting Assistance Administrator.
~Firewise Communities/USA~
Congratulations to Orleans, Humboldt County, winner of the Firewise Challenge 2013.
Orleans, CA has been awarded a grand prize in the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 1,000 Safer Places: The Firewise Communities/USA® Recognition Program Challenge. Thanks to generous monetary support from State Farm®, the largest home insurer in the United States, Orleans together with four other communities in Arkansas, Washington, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are receiving a grand prize of $5,000 to be used for mitigation activities, including chipping of brush, removal of vegetative material, and similar activities that will reduce wildfire hazards. Read more here.
Enter the NFPA/State Farm National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Neighborhood Project Contest
Join NFPA and State Farm Insurance to challenge your community to be better prepared for wildfire and become eligible to win a $500 monetary award for your efforts. Saturday May 3, 2014 is National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day and NFPA and State Farm are providing funding to assist with your Preparedness Day outreach and promotional efforts. To enter the contest, you may either signup through their website or NFPA’s Firewise Facebook page. Read more here.
For additional inspiration , join NFPA’s Wildland Fire Operations Division and four special guests, for the national 2014 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Webinar this Tuesday, February 25, at 10am (mountain time). They’ll share project highlights from the 2013 pilot event in Colorado, where sixteen projects were completed by more than 600 volunteers; and learn what the Texas A & M Forest Service has planned in their state for the inaugural national campaign. No charge promotional resources are growing daily and will be completed by early next week – take a peek at www.WildfirePrepDay.org to see what’s available.
~The "Super Circular" is Here~
On December 26, 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued the long-awaited final rule to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, more commonly known as the “Super Circular.” This rule finalizes OMB’s proposed guidance from February 1, 2013, and represents the culmination of an effort that was more than two years in the making.
Among other things, the Uniform Guidance streamlines eight Federal regulations (including OMB Circulars A-110, A-122, and A-133) into a single, comprehensive policy guide. This new guidance will have important implications for all recipients of, and applicants for, Federal grants and cooperative agreements ("awards"), including CFSC subgrants.
All current and prospective CFSC grantees should review and familiarize themselves with the Super Circular and how the changes in the federal grant regulations affect their organizations. The full text of the Uniform Guidance and useful crosswalks that highlight the policy changes are available on the OMB website here.
To assist organizations in understanding the final rule, OMB hosted an informational webcast. Parties interested in the webcast should visit www.cfo.gov/cofar.
~Fire Safe Events You Won't Want To Miss~
Event: International Association of Fire Chief's Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) 2014 Conference
Date: March 17-19, 2014
Location: Peppermill Resort, Reno, Nevada
Details: This conference kicks off with keynote speaker John Maclean, author of Fire on the Mountain, who will bring insight and stories about the dangers and challenges of wildfires. The agenda includes panel discussions on the Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, Fire Adapted Communities, lessons learned from recent wildfires and so much more. Read more here.
Event: Wildfire Risk Reduction for Outdoor Camps Workshop
Date: April 22, 2014
Location: Groveland Community Hall, State Highway 120, Tuolumne, CA, 95321
Details: The workshop will include talks by fire scientists, fire professionals, camp managers, and land managers as well as a field trip through the Rim Fire to tour Camp Tawonga and Berkeley Tuolumne Camp. Topics will include vegetation management, structure risk reduction, and communications during a crisis, and Rim fire behavior. Read more here.
Event: CWCG’s 2014 Interagency Training: Firewise Principles and Community Risk Assessments
Date: April 29, 2014
Location: McClellan Wildfire Training Center, 3237 Peacekeeper Way, McClellan CA 95652
Details: The workshop is applicable to all persons involved in fire, fuels, prevention, patrolling and those making contact with the public. It is designed to teach fire managers and prevention personnel how to apply Firewise principles in California. Read more here.
~We love to hear from you!~
California Fire Safe Council is committed to mobilizing Californians to protect their homes, communities and environment from wildfires. One way to fulfill our mission is to keep Californians informed of fire safe news, research, events and activities happening throughout the state.
If you would like to suggest a topic for an upcoming newsletter article or submit an event announcement, contact Amber Gardner at agardner@cafiresafecouncil.org or Dalonna Scott at dscott@cafiresafecouncil.org.
California Fire Safe Council does not necessarily endorse viewpoints expressed by sources cited in this newsletter.
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