Oak woodland with blue sky

Before the Fire: Resilience Projects

BUILDING RESILIENCE BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES

Our BEFORE THE FIRE programs are grounded in the belief that RESILIENCE against fire is the best way to MITIGATE fire risk & RECOVER better.

There is much work to be done to build strong models and innovative tools for ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL and COMMUNITY resilience. 

Current Projects

healthy forest scene with blue sky behind

Reducing risks and promoting forest health on private forested land

North Bay Forest Improvement Program

Central Oregon landscape view of grasslands

Promoting vegetation management for resilience

Building Fire Resilience in California's Coast Range Forests and Grasslands

orange poster promoting the wildfire field day

Ranchland, Cattle and Wildfire: A Report from the Rancher’s Wildfire Field Day

Early on a Friday morning the drive up the winding road to the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center (SFREC) took me past lush pastures and tangled oak trees.…

After the Fire Zoom Window with 9 participants on screen

After the Fire Delegation Zooms to DC to Meet with Electeds Regarding Wildfire

During the fall of 2021, After the Fire hosted an ongoing virtual advocacy delegation of local elected officials, non-profit leaders, and community members to meet with our country’s senators and…

Firefighter preparing to climb up ladder

North Bay Area’s Two New Firefighter Workforce Training Programs May Create More Promising Career Pathways for Future Firefighters

by Emily Irving After a downward surge of projected careers in the firefighting industry, there is a dire need to bring in a new generation of future firefighters. But with…

two firefighters in protective suits spray water on a tower of flam

The wildfire firefighting workforce: Is there a scarcity of trained firefighters to meet current needs?

by Emily Irving It is a worry some may not want to think about. The 2021 fire season has already led to three of the largest California wildfires on record.…

defensilbe space zones diagram showing a house with three zones around it

National Preparedness Month: Creating Defensible Space

Defensible space diagram by CALFIRE With the increase in fires in the West, chances are a wildfire may come near your home. It is your responsibility to prepare and maintain…

Colorado Wildland Fire Conference

After the Fire to Make Presentation at the 2021 Colorado Wildland Fire Conference

Molly Curley O’Brien After the Fire is proud to participate in the 2021 Colorado Wildland Fire Conference in Grand Junction, Colorado the week of September 20-23. This year’s event will…

Testimonials

Man in Fire Dept jacket and tie

Mike Wink

Battalion Chief, South Lake County Fire Protection District

The South Lake County Fire Protection District has worked on projects in our local community that so far have included: Operation Seconds Count, that provides fire extinguishers and smoke/CO2 alarms to those in need, Operation Force Multiplier, that provides wildland fire hand tools and water fire extinguishers to help community members extinguish smaller fires and Operation Help Us Find You, that provided street signs and address signs to a rural community. Without the support, collaboration, leadership and networking from theTeam at After The Fire these local projects would not have gotten the boost to get going. All of these Projects are ongoing. Thank you team After The Fire!

man with red hair and beard outdoors smiles for the camera

Will Evans

Executive Director, Clear Lake Environmental Research Center

ATF has played a critical role in the establishment of multiple regional wildfire resilience partnerships. These regional collaborations have enabled our organization to engage with other practitioners across the region, which has been important for gaining access to technical expertise and funding for projects. ATF's small grants have provided funding that has allowed us to collaborate with new partners on a professional level, which otherwise would have been handled by community volunteers.

bearded man with broad brimmed hat smiling

Richard Kavinoky

Monan’s Rill Commu nity

After the Glass Fire burned through our property, it left a lot of dead standing manzanita and trees. The North Bay Forest Improvement Program grant gave us the funds we needed to hire the labor to cut, pile and burn all that vegetation. Now, seven months and 200 burn piles later, the work is done, and we are much better protected from a future wildfire coming from the east.

jason wells standing outside near trees

Jason Wells

Registered Professional Forester, Sonoma Resource Conservation District

Working with After the Fire has been a great partnership, without their help there would be no North BayForest Improvement Program. Their fiscal sponsorship provides a means to soften the delay between payments from our funders and invoices provided by partners and landowners, their staff provides expertise in contract and meeting management as well as development of promotional and online resources, and they are able to provide a nexus by which multiple agencies and partners can work to expand the influence of the program.

Before the Fire Staff

Rosa Brandt
Program Manager