Trinity Fire Safe Council outlines how $151,500 wildfire coordinator grant is being used locally
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Summary
Skyler Fisher, Trinity County Fire Safe Council coordinator, told the Board the county received $151,500 for 14 months of coordinator funding (2025 allocation), which has supported planning, CWPP updates, Firewise community support and leveraging implementation funding; the program will shift focus slightly under an extension from the California Fire Safe Council and CAL FIRE.
Skyler Fisher, the Trinity County Fire Safe Council coordinator with the Trinity County Resource Conservation District, told the Board the county’s wildfire county coordinator grant has expanded local capacity and helped bring additional project funding into the county.
"This round, we received a $151,500 for 14 months of County Fire Safe Council coordination," Fisher said, describing the 2025 allocation and how the coordinator role has supported CWPP updates, Firewise community coordination, school lessons, free home assessments and project planning that helped leverage environmental compliance and implementation funding.
Fisher traced the program to a 2021 funding round administered through the California Fire Safe Council in partnership with CAL FIRE and said the county benefited from subsequent rounds in 2022 and 2025. She said the coordinator position ties Trinity County into a statewide network while allowing projects to be tailored locally.
She described planned shifts in the program’s extension, including standardizing data collection, continued emphasis on home hardening and defensible space, outreach and evacuation preparedness, supporting shovel‑ready projects, and improving project tracking so residents can see completed work. Fisher noted the county supports 14 Firewise communities and partners with volunteer fire departments to provide free home assessments.
Board members and public commenters stressed outreach to elders and residents who lack capacity or funds for yard work and urged more funding for implementation crews. One commenter noted the community chipping program helps residents avoid burn piles and reduces pollution.
Fisher did not ask the board for action at the meeting but asked supervisors for input on local priorities the Fire Safe Council should emphasize over the coming year.
Next steps include aligning local priorities with statewide deliverables under the extended program and continuing coordination with CAL FIRE, the California Fire Safe Council and county partners. Specific future funding requests or project schedules were not finalized in the presentation.
