Program Summary

Carson City Fire Department (CCFD) in cooperation with Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD) applied and was awarded federal funds from the Bureau of Land Management for the Community Fire Assistance Program to address the threat of wildfire in the communities of Northeast Carson City  and New Washoe City/East Washoe Valley.  These areas have been assessed as a high risk due to an increased accumulation of wildland fuels around homes throughout the communities.  To prevent a catastrophic wildland-urban interface fire likely resulting in loss of life and severe property and infrastructure damage, fire prevention and fuels reduction must be a priority in these communities. 
 
This Program will address three key program areas:
1) Promote public education and awareness of wildfire safety.
2) Identify most at-risk areas/properties through home defensible space assessments, and community assessments.
3) Provide the community with complementary hazardous fuels mitigation reduction based on best practices and national guidelines. 
Anticipated outcomes of these efforts include: 
• Enhance Public Safety: Prioritizing the safety of residents, visitors, and emergency responders by minimizing the threat of wildfires and reducing the potential for fire-related accidents and injuries in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). 
• Protect Natural Resources: Preserve the ecological integrity of the area and its surroundings, including vital habitats, watershed areas, and sensitive ecosystems, from the destructive effects of uncontrolled wildfires, both natural and human caused. 
• Safeguard Infrastructure: Mitigating the risk of damage to critical infrastructure, such as power lines, roads, bridges, and communication networks, thereby ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of essential services to the community. 
• Promote Community Engagement: Fostering collaboration and partnership among local stakeholders, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and residents to collectively address the wildfire threat through education, outreach, and participation in fuels reduction activities. 
• Build Resilience: Strengthening the resilience of communities against the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires by implementing sustainable, science-based strategies for fuels management and fire prevention. 
 
Funding will be leveraged to provide a tangible benefit to hundreds of properties encompassed in the project areas.  CCFD host community wildland fire awareness events, provide defensible space assessments for homeowners and conduct hazardous fuels mitigation/reduction in our respective districts.  

In addition, CCFD will address hazard mitigation in the form of large-scale fuel breaks.  This will bolster Carson City BLM’s existing efforts to wrap fuel breaks completely around the communities in the project area.