Fire Safe Council seeks county help to expand chipper program and create more Firewise communities

The San Benito Fire Safe Council presented to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 28 and asked for help expanding community wildfire resilience programs, including the county’s chipper and shaded‑fuel projects and a push to create more Firewise communities.

Rick Mazzarella, chair of the Fire Safe Council, said the group secured roughly $170,000 in grants to restart a chipper program in Aromas and fund shaded‑fuel work in San Juan Canyon. The council reported strong early participation at the Aromas collection events and said the county has only four certified Firewise communities while neighboring counties have many more.

Mazzarella asked the board to “help us get the message out” through county outreach channels and to assist with recruiting volunteers who can provide financial, legal and IT support for grant writing and administration. Board members and attendees discussed targeted outreach to CSAs and HOAs, using the county GIS and elections email lists where allowed, and involving the county fire chiefs and the county fire protection committee for coordination.

Why it matters: Firewise communities and local fuel‑reduction programs reduce property risk, can affect insurance costs for homeowners and expand community preparedness. The Fire Safe Council said county assistance in publicity, contact lists and simple data sharing could speed formation of additional Firewise neighborhoods.

Next steps: The council will hold a public meeting Nov. 5 at the community foundation Epicenter to coach residents who have expressed interest in forming Firewise communities; the board offered to help identify contact lists and to route the group to county fire and emergency‑management forums.