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Presenter urges Mantua to adopt Community Wildfire Protection Plan to secure mitigation funding
Summary
A presenter reviewed a yearlong Community Wildfire Protection Plan, flagged an estimated $493 million at-risk value, proposed volunteer tracking and a possible $10,000 equipment grant, and said the town must adopt an associated agreement and state code to preserve federal/state reimbursement eligibility.
A presenter told the Mantua Town Council that a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) completed after a year of revisions identifies high-risk areas, mitigation actions and annual reporting requirements the town must meet to remain eligible for state and federal assistance.
"If it does stop... they won't pay for it. We'll pay for it. We will bankrupt the town," the presenter said, urging the council to adopt the plan and support ongoing mitigation and volunteer documentation. The presenter described the CWPP as a six-year plan with required annual Community Wildfire System (CWS) submissions and said the town has to track volunteer hours, equipment use and dates to document mitigation work.
The plan, the presenter said, includes location and zoning maps, stakeholder lists, and an estimated value-at-risk based on county data: about $493,000,000. She told council members she will work with the fire department to pursue possible grant funding, including a roughly $10,000 grant to replace or add equipment after wildland fires. Council members said the CWPP will help meet an approaching pre-disaster mitigation deadline for a capabilities assessment the county/state is requesting.
The presenter also said the mayor will sign an agreement to adopt the 2024 state code provisions that blend wildland fire requirements with the International Building Code; she expects the ordinance to be ready for the July meeting. Council members asked that the presenter document which mitigation commitments from the previous year were completed so the town can report them to state and federal programs.
Council and staff acknowledged the CWPP's role in preserving eligibility for outside funding after incidents and the need to record volunteer hours and equipment use precisely. The presenter asked for signatures from those who will participate in mitigation efforts and said she will prepare the final agreement and coordinate with the fire department.
The council did not vote on adoption at this meeting; members thanked the presenter and asked staff to compile historical mitigation records and coordinate next steps so the town can meet reporting deadlines.
