Wildfire Literacy Education: Capacity and Funding for Preparedness Education

Community preparedness and prevention depends on an informed and literate populace, familiar with the ecological reality of living in Santa Barbara County's high risk wildfire country. Despite the high risk, the community is not well informed on the nature of wildfire in our ecosystems and the need for fire to maintain ecosystem health. Historically wildfire awareness and literacy levels have spiked after local fire events, but wanes rapidly thereafter and the community lapses back into low readiness and undervalues and underinvests in prevention efforts. With the intensification of climate impacts, increasing drought and wildfire intensity year after year, awareness of wildfire risk is high but community wildfire literacy and action remains low. Wildfire literacy education should be a high priority for investment and incorporated into all outreach and neighborhood coordination efforts. Meetings should be held to share information and educate community members about the basics of fire protection, with opportunities for community members to identify and prioritize needs in specific areas. The recent NFWF grant for the "Regional Wildfire Mitigation Plan" includes substantial funding to the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council for this purpose, but is not in and of itself sufficient to meet all of our needs in this arena.

Status: In Progress

Cost:

Partners: Santa Barbara Fire Safe Council

Permitting: 

Funding Sources: Cal Fire, Coastal Conservancy, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Additional Notes: