Climate Action Corps fellow describes wildfire-resiliency outreach, home-hardening and volunteer work in Oakland

A Climate Action Corps Fellow with the City of Oakland Fire Department and the Emergency Management Department said they have been focusing on wildfire resiliency in Oakland, including outreach on defensible space, home hardening and coordinating volunteer habitat-restoration projects.

"I've been focusing on wildfire resiliency in Oakland," the Climate Action Corps Fellow said, identifying their roles with the Fire Department and Emergency Management Department. They said the outreach includes educating homeowners in the hills about clearing flammable materials around their properties to reduce fire risk: "Education about defensible space around people's homes in the hills. They have to clear it of flammable materials."

The Fellow also described efforts to promote home hardening — measures homeowners can take to reduce the chance that embers will ignite a structure during a nearby wildfire: "We've been talking about home hardening so people can better protect their homes from embers, when there are potential wildfires."

Beyond individual-household measures, the Fellow said they have been "coordinating on volunteerism in Oakland around habitat restoration in local parks," connecting wildfire-prevention education with community volunteer projects.

Speaking about their own experience, the Fellow said the Climate Action Corps provided professional-development training and career support: "My experience with Climate Action Corps has been great ... They've taught us all about professional development, like how to get a job." They added that after finishing the Corps and school they intend to seek work in state or local government focused on climate resiliency, utilities and energy in the Bay Area.

No formal action or vote was recorded in the transcript. The remarks describe local outreach and workforce-development activity rather than a board decision or proposed ordinance.