Business Wire | Jun 1, 2021 12:24PM EDT

Empowering Communities to Prepare for Wildfire Season, Grants to Local Nonprofits Focused on Wildfire Mitigation Projects

Jun. 01, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 01, 2021--This wildfire season, mobilizing Californians to protect their homes, businesses, communities, and the environment from wildfire is more important than ever. The work of local California Fire Safe Councils (FSCs) is critical to strengthening the safety and preparedness of local communities during the 2021 wildfire season.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) continues its strong support of local FSCs and non-profit organizations that are focused on reducing the threat of wildfires in its communities, with $2 million in grants for projects scheduled in 2021.

"With our Community Wildfire Safety Program, we focus on reducing wildfire risk by meeting and exceeding state vegetation safety standards, continuing to harden our electric grid with stronger power lines and poles and by integrating new tools and technologies. But we can't do it all alone. We need to work together and enable each other to prepare for this wildfire season, which is why the work of the local Fire Safe Councils is so essential," said Peter Kenny, PG&E Interim Vice President of Vegetation Management.

Since 2014, PG&E has provided $17 million in grant funding to support local FSCs in their efforts to improve fire safety in communities. Typical FSC projects include reducing fuel, creating fuel breaks, and improving fire evacuation routes and emergency access roads.

"With funding from PG&E, we're able to expand our chipper program and offer free community chipper days for residents in Mendocino County, which we've found are a great way to empower residents to finish defensible space clearing," said Scott Cratty, President of the Mendocino County FSC. "This year, the funding also allowed us to receive a matching grant that helps provide defensible space clearing assistance for the handicapped and for seniors whose income qualifies."

California continues to experience extreme weather, leading to an increase in wildfire risk and a longer wildfire season. One-third of the electric lines that provide PG&E customers with power are now in extreme or elevated fire-threat areas, as identified by the California Public Utilities Commission.

The funding from PG&E will go toward 32 projects that are planned to be completed by November of this year. A list of local Fire Safe Councils and 501(c)(3) organizations receiving PG&E project funding is below:

Local Fire Safe Councils and 501(c)(3) Organizations Receiving

PG&E Funding for Projects

Organization County

Hayward Fire Department Alameda

Diablo FSC Alameda and Contra Costa

Forest Ranch FSC Butte

Butte County FSC Butte

Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions (CHIPS) Calaveras

Auburn Lake Trails Fire Safety & Improvement Council (FSIC) El Dorado

Highway 168 FSC Fresno

Yosemite/Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development FresnoCouncil (RCDC)

Day Lassen Bench FSC Lassen and Shasta

Yosemite/Sequoia RCDC Madera

FireSafe Marin Marin

Mendocino County FSC Mendocino

FSC of Monterey County Monterey

Angwin FSC Napa

Mt. Veeder FSC Napa

FSC of Nevada County Nevada

Iowa Hill Community Club Placer

Feather River Resource Conservation District (RCD) Plumas

San Luis Obispo County FSC San Luis Obispo

FireSafe San Mateo County/Woodside Fire Protection District San Mateo

South Skyline FSC Santa Clara and Santa Cruz

FireSafe Santa Cruz County Santa Cruz

Fire Safe Sonoma Sonoma

COPE NoSoCO (Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies, SonomaNorthern Sonoma County)

Bennett Ridge FSO Sonoma

Resource Conservation District of Tehama County Tehama and some Shasta

Trinity County RCD Trinity and Humboldt

Highway 108 FSC Tuolumne

Yuba Watershed Protection & Fire Safe Council Yuba

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.

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