AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: September 9, 2025
TITLE: Future Agenda Item Request - Direction to Prepare for Formation of a Firewise Committee and Return with Establishing Documents PRESENTED BY: Konrad Bolowich, City Manager
RECOMMENDATION: 1. EXPLORE AND DESIGN THE CITY OF GRAND TERRACE FIREWISE
COMMITTEE (COMMITTEE STRUCTURE, MEMBERSHIP, SCOPE OF
WORK, AND OPERATING PROCEDURES);
2. PREPARE ALL NECESSARY ESTABLISHING DOCUMENTS
(RESOLUTION, BYLAWS/CHARTER, MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
PROCESS, BROWN ACT COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORK, MEETING
CALENDAR, AND REPORTING TEMPLATES), PLUS DRAFT WORK
PLANS, RISK-ASSESSMENT SCOPE, AND A THREE-YEAR ACTION
PLAN TEMPLATE; AND
3. RETURN TO THE CITY COUNCIL WITH A COMPLETE PACKAGE
READY FOR ADOPTION TO FORMALLY ESTABLISH THE FIREWISE
COMMITTEE AND LAUNCH THE CITY’S FIREWISE USA® PROGRAM
EFFORTS
2030 VISION STATEMENT:
This staff report supports Goal #2, Maintain Public Safety, Goal #4, Develop and Implement Successful Partnerships, and Goal #5, Engage in Proactive Communication
BACKGROUND:
There is a future agenda request to form a Firewise Committee to advance neighborhood wildfire preparedness and risk reduction.
DISCUSSION:
A Firewise Committee is the resident-led leadership group that guides a community through the Firewise USA® program (administered by the National Fire Protection Association in partnership with CAL FIRE/the Office of the State Fire Marshal). The committee:
• Partners with fire agencies (e.g., CAL FIRE and San Bernardino County Fire) to complete a wildfire risk assessment of local neighborhoods (especially Wildland Urban Interface areas). • Develops and maintains a multi-year action plan (typically three years) to reduce risk—e.g., defensible space education, vegetation management priorities, “chipper days,” homehardening outreach, and evacuation readiness education (in coordination with public safety). • Organizes annual risk-reduction activities and tracks participation (volunteer hours, in-kind donations, and costs).
• Reports annually to keep the City’s Firewise USA recognition active.
Recognition requirements (plain-language overview):
• Establish and maintain a local committee of residents with agency partners and a City liaison. • Complete a community wildfire risk assessment and update it periodically. • Adopt a 3-year action plan; update it annually.
• Hold at least one wildfire risk-reduction event per year. • Demonstrate an annual community “investment in mitigation” roughly equivalent to one volunteer hour per dwelling unit (or a monetary equivalent) each year.
WHY FIREWISE MATTERS FOR GRAND TERRACE
• Risk reduction: Systematic, neighborhood-scale steps (defensible space, home-hardening, fuel reduction) measurably reduce wildfire loss potential. • Education & coordination: Creates a consistent local forum to align residents, City staff, and fire agencies.
• Funding leverage: Firewise participation can strengthen competitiveness for grants (CAL FIRE, FEMA BRIC/HMGP, State Fire Assistance, Fire Safe Council grants) and supports partnerships with utilities and non-profits.
• Insurance dialogue: Some insurers recognize community-level mitigation as a positive signal; Firewise participation can aid residents’ discussions with carriers.
HOW THE FIREWISE COMMITTEE WOULD BE SET UP (Proposed Framework) A. Establishment & Compliance
• Establishing Resolution: Creates the Firewise Committee as a Brown Act advisory body to the City Council, defines scope, and appointing authority. • Bylaws/Charter: Membership size, terms, officer roles (chair/vice-chair/secretary), quorum, meeting cadence, duties, and reporting.
• Training/Policies: Brown Act orientation; City ethics/harassment prevention for appointees as appropriate; records retention; use of City branding and communications protocols.
B. Composition (Proposed 9–11 members)
• 5–7 residents from at-risk neighborhoods (e.g., hillside/WUI areas), • 1 representative from San Bernardino County Fire (advisory), • 1 CAL FIRE liaison (advisory, as available),
• 1 City staff liaison (non-voting; coordinates agendas and reporting), • Optional: 1 insurance/utility or local NGO partner (advisory).
Terms: staggered 2-year terms; initial appointments may be a mix of one- and two-year terms to establish staggering.
C. Scope of Work (Year 1–3)
1. Risk Assessment: Partner with fire agencies to complete a community wildfire risk
assessment (Citywide lens, with targeted neighborhood profiles).
2. Action Plan: Draft a 3-year action plan with specific projects (education, home-hardening outreach, chipping events, green-waste disposal partnerships, evacuation readiness outreach).
3. Annual Activities: Schedule at least one annual risk-reduction event (e.g., Community Wildfire Preparedness Day, neighborhood chipper day) and track participation.
4. Reporting: File the annual Firewise report and brief the City Council each spring on progress, metrics, and next steps.
5. Grant Support: Coordinate with staff to identify grant opportunities and prepare community components (letters of support, volunteer commitments, in-kind tracking).
D. Meetings & Reporting
• Meet bi-monthly at launch; shift to quarterly once programs are established. • Publish an annual calendar of meetings and events.
• Provide an annual report to Council (progress, metrics, grant status, next-year plan).
Pre-Council Date Preparation
• Finalize establishing resolution/bylaws; compile Council agenda package (including draft riskassessment scope, action plan template, meeting schedule, and application package). • Prepare recruitment materials for appointments following Council adoption.
Future Council Date (TBD)
• Return to Council with full establishing package for adoption and launch:
o Establishing Resolution & Bylaws/Charter
o Membership application & selection process
o Draft meeting calendar and work plan
o Risk-assessment scope and action-plan template
o Reporting tools and annual schedule
• Upon approval: open applications and schedule the first committee meeting.
STAFFING & OPERATIONS
• Lead Department: Fire in coordination with Public Works and City Manager’s Office. • City Staff Liaison: Coordinates agendas, minutes, Brown Act posting, interagency contacts, reporting, and grant support.
1. Agency Partners: CAL FIRE and San Bernardino County Fire provide technical input on assessments, educational content, and best practices.
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED:
• Form the committee immediately. (Not recommended as there is extensive preparation prior to establishment of a functional committee.)
• Defer entirely. (Not recommended; misses the opportunity to complete preparatory work and be launch-ready in early 2027.)
• Proceed as recommended: Complete all preparatory work now and return with a turnkey
establishing package. (Recommended)
RECOMMENDATION
Direct staff to:
1. Explore and design the City of Grand Terrace Firewise Committee (committee structure, membership, scope of work, and operating procedures);
2. Prepare all necessary establishing documents, risk-assessment scope, and a three-year action plan template; and
3. Return to the City Council with a complete package ready for adoption to formally establish the Firewise Committee and launch the City’s Firewise USA® program efforts.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
This action provides direction to prepare administrative documents and does not approve a project or physical activity that may cause a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment; therefore, it is not a project under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Near-term (prep period): Staff time for development of documents, coordination, and program design (absorbed within existing budgets).
After establishment: Modest ongoing staff support for meetings and events. Event costs (e.g., chipping, outreach materials) may be grant-supported (CAL FIRE, FEMA BRIC/HMGP, State Fire Assistance, Fire Safe Council grants) and/or modest City match. The Firewise model emphasizes volunteer time and in-kind contributions, which count toward the annual investment requirement.