Within the Creston Firewise 2025 annual meeting, we reviewed, discussed and adopted an action plan for 2025.
- In December 2024, in our Firewise application, we had presented a strawman action plan to Firewise
- on January 23, 2025, we had a significant planning meeting with all Creston Organizers and Block Captains (about 20 people). We reviewed this action plan, we modified it, and we adopted a version of that plan to present, discuss, modify and eventually adopt in our 2025 annual neighborhood meeting.
- The action plan follows the required plan for all California Firewise neighborhoods as required by CalFire. There are 4 required sections (Education/outreach, Home Hardening, Landscaping for Wildfire, Evacuation).
In our 2025 annual neighborhood meeting, we went section by section, presented each section, discussed it, then voted on it. Below are the results.
Education/Outreach
Proposed action plan for 2025:
- maintain and update community contact lists with member contact information to allow regular updates and alerts.
- create global Berkeley Firewise website.
- Collaborate with neighboring Firewise groups
- At least 2 wildfire education events per year
- property visit program with local resident experts
- collaboration program with Berkeley Fire Station #7
The program was discussed, voted on and approved by unanimity of the residents present.
Home Hardening
Proposed action plan for 2025:
- develop First Level hardening project documents for basic, cheaper home hardening projects (vent screens, gutter screens, skirting, hardening of lower 6” of home).
- Publish First Level education documents on the new Berkeley Firewise website.
- Start organize tours of hardened homes in the neighborhood.
- Maintain full home hardening checklist including all California and IBHS requirements and opportunities.
- Host at least one community meeting before the beginning of construction season to go over home hardening opportunities during renovation. Include class-A and noncombustible roofs (metal, tile), noncombustible siding (concrete, brick), double-paned tempered windows, metal and hardscape fences, fire-resistant doors, porch and deck retrofits.
- Maintain, on the website, contractor list focused on First Level hardening projects: vent screens, gutter screens, skirting, hardening of lower 6” of house, and more.
- Include, in every quarterly update when possible, a specific home hardening project success story from one of our residents, with photos and a way to contact the homeowner.
The program was discussed, voted on and approved by unanimity of the residents present.
Defensible Space / Fuel Reduction Goals
Proposed action plan for 2025:
- Launch program to obtain grants to fund fuel reduction program for residents in financial need, for whom the fuel reduction program is too expensive, and/or who cannot carry the program on their own.
- Maintain First Level documents (debris removal, vegetation removal in zone 0, and on elimination of wood fences and gates in zone 0, removal of wood mulch and use of noncombustible/rock mulch).
- publicize and promote access of all City of Berkeley programs, including Chipper Day, debris bins etc. [to be implemented as a section of the Berkeley Firewise website, and references on email updates]
- Maintain full landscaping checklist including all California and IBHS requirements and opportunities. Circulate and maintain in Berkeley Firewise website.
- Host at least one community meeting in early planting season to go over new landscaping techniques for modern times in future landscaping projects. Include avoidance and/or destruction of vertical ladders, destruction and/or avoidance of horizontal fire ladders, separation of canopies, design with “green islands” separate by separation areas, and use of rocks, hardscape, and water.
- Identify and provide local resident experts to be a resource to other homeowners, to help guide defensible space/fuel removal efforts.
- work with other local Firewise organizations to organize 2 large Berkeley Ridge-wide (from Summit Reservoir to Shasta Rd, since the whole ridge is now organizing) fuel reduction days or weekends (or do out own)
- In every quarterly update when possible, continue to include a specific fuel reduction project success story from one of our residents, with photos and a way to contact the homeowner.
The program was discussed, voted on and approved by unanimity of the residents present.
Evacuation
Proposed action plan for 2025:
- Find a way to work with MidCreston Emergency Response Group to generalize their evacuation procedures to all of Creston Firewise. Partial translation in more granular items:
- Maintain Master Evacuation Plan (MEP) with all evacuation routes and strategies out of Creston Firewise.
- Maintain typical go-bag checklist for wildfire emergencies
- distribute MEP and go-bag checklists through the community by email and on paper door-to-door.
- promote Berkeley’s Household Fire Weather Planning Tool, and encourage residents to use it.
The program was discussed, voted on and approved by unanimity of the residents present.
Specific proposed action days/weekends
Proposed action plan for 2025:
- April 12, 2025 volunteer brush clearing day on the east side of Grizzly Peak, with UC students
- May 3, 2025 education event with Lessons Learned from SoCal Fire as the centerpoint, hopefully adding house visits.
- July 12-13, 2025 fuel removal neighborhood weekend, with a big barbecue at the end
- August 9-10, 2025 fuel removal neighborhood weekend, hopefully with all of Zone 4, with a big Zone 4 barbecue at the end (possibly swap Creston FW and Zone 4 btw the two dates)
The program was discussed, voted on and approved by unanimity of the residents present.