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County updates wildfire mitigation plan, Firewise grants and 'bring it, don't burn it' bins
Summary
County staff reported progress on the Community Wildfire Protection Plan update, upcoming bins and outreach events, and a surge in Firewise grant applications that outpaces current local funding.
Valley County staff briefed commissioners on wildfire mitigation efforts, the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) update and Firewise grant demand at the April 28 meeting.
Staff said the County is finalizing a CWPP update with the fire working group and expects to present it to the board for approval. The CWPP will be used as the foundation for applying for mitigation grants; staff asked for written edits by May 1 and said the CWPP will be presented to cities and stakeholders after finalization.
On operational items, staff confirmed the schedule for residential woody-debris drop-off (the county will accept residential woody debris at the dump during closed fire season between May 10 and Oct. 20) and announced a “bring it, don’t burn it” bin event set for May 24–June 5, facilitated by local fire departments. A wildfire preparedness event is scheduled for May 10 at Donnelly Fire from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Firewise grants drew notable attention: staff said they received 70 applications this year compared with 40 last year and estimated that fully funding all applications would require roughly $238,000. Staff said the county’s annual local allocation for Firewise grants is limited (staff comment: “we only allocate $50 every year for these funds”), so the program cannot fund every application without additional outside funding. The Firewise grants operate as a 50/50 match: the county reimburses half of the approved project cost after inspections and before/after photos.
Staff also described a grant-supported outreach and evacuation study conducted with Boise State University to assess how Cascade residents received evacuation messaging and to refine future evacuation maps and mailers. Those mailers will be sent by grant-funded partners and will not be a county expense, staff said.
Next steps: staff will finalize the CWPP edits, seek approval from the board, continue grant applications tied to the updated CWPP and coordinate the May bins and outreach events. Staff told commissioners they will present the CWPP for final approval and continue to pursue funding to expand Firewise grants where demand is competitive.
