Volunteer Mobilization, Organizing and Coordination Capacity

The scope and scale of wildfires and related disasters like the 2017 Thomas Fire and the subsequent January 9th Debris Flow create an overwhelming need for community response and support in a wide variety of ways during the early and ongoing stages of the disaster cycle. Many community members want to respond and be of service, but there is limited capacity to organize volunteers to do so. Organizations like the Bucket Brigade, Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross have dedicated volunteer management capacity, but there is a need to formalize support for these groups and other volunteer groups around areas that aren’t yet officially organized to address fire. This can include support volunteer-run organizations with dedicated staff to help identify, fund, and implement on the ground projects. Groups like the Fire Safe Council and the Bucket Brigade are focused on preparation and prevention in addition to response, and they have capacity to mobilize volunteers beyond any given neighborhood to respond to particular events. This is akin to the formal mutual aid system whereby jurisdictions send fire personnel and equipment to incidents outside their boundaries, but for volunteer response. The Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade is often associated with Montecito due to its response to the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow, but actually is a volunteer response organization operating at a larger scale and working on initiatives in a variety of communities. The Fire Safe Council is another example, where multiple neighborhood representatives are engaged and have the opportunity to develop volunteer management and coordination capacity at a larger scale. The Bucket Brigade is in dire need of additional paid staff to coordinate neighborhoods and respond to emergencies as they arise.

Status: Completed

Cost: Medium

Partners: Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, Santa Barbara Fire Safe Council, Coastal Conservancy

Permitting: None

Funding Sources: Fire Grants

Additional Notes: The goal is to Increase neighborhood capacity to organize volunteers around fire prevention efforts once neighborhood organizations are formed, and to support existing volunteer-run organizations with dedicated staff to help identify, fund, and implement on the ground projects (via FSC or other entity).