2025-03-23 Creston Firewise annual meeting notes

Grizzly & East Creston
1

We committed to a two hour limit, and we stuck to it: huge win :-). Eric Weaver was the meeting leader and facilitator, and kept things moving. We kept most questions to the very end, and asked everyone to write their questions on cards—it worked really well. Everyone agreed to no breaks. Because the notes are long, we broke them into three different posts.

The meeting was extremely well attended, with more than 60 attendees, and Joy’s hospitality was wonderful.

0. Mixer (15 minutes)

1. Introduction by Sara Sanderson (5 minutes)

We prepared this meeting on Jan 23 with all the organizers and block captains (close to 20 people), who reviewed, modified and approved a proposed action plan for Creston Firewise for 2025. We started working on some pieces of the action plan:

  • we started collaborating with all the other Firewise groups on Proposed Zone 4 (there are 7 so far) and with a total of 15-16 Firewise groups in Berkeley.
  • we created a Berkeley-wide Firewise website. It is full of easily accessible information: https://www.berkeleyfirewise.org/. Do check it out, and also start publishing information there!

2. Summary of Xyloplan analysis of fire danger in our area, by Eric Weaver (5 minutes)

Alameda County commissioned a company, Xyloplan, to study fire propagation into the East Bay. The information is scientific, stark and dire, and we are on the front lines of this propagation.

One powerful nugget: the only place in our area of the hills to have relatively less danger is Zaytuna College, thanks to the immense work in wildfire mitigation they have accomplished over the last 5 years. JJ Botha, Facilities manager, is here to present what they have done.

3. Presentation of fire mitigation work at Zaytuna College, by Zaytuna Facilities Manager J. J. Botha, followed by questions (20 minutes).

For the past 5 years Zaytuna College has done immense amounts of work aimed at decreasing wildfire danger for the college and the neighborhood:

  • we have removed every single eucalyptus tree in the college
  • we are willing to acquire, if at a reasonable price, parcels with many eucalyptus around us, and remove all the eucalyptus
  • we have cleared very large quantities of vegetation around the college and its perimeter, enough, for instance, to actually be able to see the hillsides around us (humor).
  • we are working on decreasing slide risk around the steep hills of the college
  • we are planning, in the near future, to remove all the California Bay trees around the college, that present a high fire danger, and keep on working on mitigating fire danger
  • we own several houses in the neighborhood and will work to keep them free of any wildfire risk.
  • I am collaborating directly with Eric and Michel on neighborhood issues
  • If you are a neighbor of Zaytuna and have any issues, please come and talk to me and have tea with me. I will do what I can to take care of them. Despite my rough South African accent I am a hospitable and kind person and I will treat you that way.

4. Update on status of EMBER, by Sara Sanderson (5 minutes)

  • EMBER is the Berkeley Fire Department (BFD)'s best scientific approach to mitigating wildfire in the hills. They believe that this (i.e. now) is the best, and likely only chance, to make it happen.
  • They are working hard to make it happen with the city, in part by finding sources of money to make it possible for people with fewer means to satisfy these newly enforced requirements (Zone 0, 1 and 2).
  • The next City Staff presentation on EMBER is March 24, 2025, 10:30 a.m. at 2180 Milvia Street in the Redwood Room.
  • The next City Council meeting considering EMBER is April 15, 2024, 4:00 p.m. Please show up and speak!
  • For more information about EMBER, see the 54 page EMBER report from the Feb. 12, 2025, City Council Meeting by following this link: City Council Special Meeting eAgenda February 11, 2025 | City of Berkeley

5. Presentation of April 12, 2025, day of community brush reduction work, by Miye G, Susan B, & Michel Thouati (15 minutes).

  • Miye and Susan, at the Jan 23 meeting, started the Mutual Aid Committee for Creston Firewise, aimed to provide support to our own neighbors when they need a bit of help in mitigating wildfire.
  • we already applied to 2 $20K grants
  • we are in the process of applying for a $100K grant
  • we are working to establish an ongoing relationship with UC student groups to get them to help us remove brush twice a year in the neighborhood.
  • we are getting 50+ students to help us clear brush on the east side of Grizzly Peak next April 12 (a Saturday). We need many volunteers to make this work.
  • we circulated volunteer sheets and will follow up with everyone on email.

6. 2025 Firewise work/action plan: review, discuss and vote on Creston Firewise work/action plan for 2025, by Michel Thouati (15 minutes).

  • In December 24 we presented a strawman action plan to Firewise in our application
  • on January 23, 2025, with all Creston Organizers and Block Captains (about 20 people), we reviewed this action plan, we modified it, and we adopted a version that we want to present, discuss, and hopefully adopt in the present meeting.
  • it 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).

The full plan, section by section, was presented, discussed and adopted by unanimity of the residents present. The detail of the plan is available here: 2025-03-23 Creston Firewise 2025 adopted action plan

7. Avoiding costly mistakes in wildfire prevention when remodeling and landscaping in 2025, by Michel Thouati. (20 minutes).

We all spend of lot of time and money on remodeling our homes and relandscaping our yards. It is raging, a few years later, to find out that some of these projects did not take into account information that, had we known about it, would have significantly changed the decisions we took. This presentation specifically discusses issues about wildfire that may come back to haunt us if we don’t take consider them at project planning time.
The notes for this presentation are available here:

8. Questions, any subject. 20 minutes.
All the questions are included in the presentations above.

Useful links

  • For more about the Xyloplan Report, follow this link (City of Berkeley website):
  • For more information about EMBER, follow this link (PDF on the City of Berkeley website):

City Council Special Meeting eAgenda February 11, 2025 | City of Berkeley

  • The next City Council meeting considering Ember is April 15, 2024, 4:00 p.m.

Other resources: