Deployments & Delegations
No community should begin at the beginning -- not when we have a vast network of wildfire survivors from all sectors and silos to help communities after wildfire. We let them know what's next, what mistakes we made, we share best practices and adaptable tools. Most of all, we LISTEN and then we walk alongside of them for the long-term slog of recovery.
What do we ask in return? That they pay it forward to the next community ravaged by megafire."
Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO, After the Fire USA
Boots on the Ground
Our Community to Community program comes to visit in person to meet with the community, and asks the simple question, "what do you need, and how can we help?"
Our team pledges to offer assistance for the long term of recovery, for at least three years, if the local community wants it, and our services are always free of charge. We depend on our partners and donors for ongoing funding to support this work.
Mentoring, recovery navigation, advocacy, all coming from a place of empathy and respect and care for humanity. We help because we care and want to make the recovery process easier.
Advocacy
Our program helps fire survivors advocate for what they need and we support them as they share their concerns and seek solutions with local, state and federal officials.
Check Out our Wildfire Leadership Summit!
Mark your calendars! We've slated the 2024 Wildfire Leadership Summit for September 10-12, 2024 in Sonoma, CA at Hanna Center.
Meetups, Networking and Support for Community Leaders
As we listen and hear what challenges you are facing, we make an effort to connect you with people and information that can help. From monthly topical Community 2 Community meetings, to 1:1 hosted virtual networking meetings, to simple email introductions for just-in-time assistance, our program is designed to adapt to your recovery's present situation and serve the community with knowledge-sharing and expert advice.
Adaptable Tools
We are developing a collection of adaptable tools to help leaders take action and support their communities recover and rebuild after wildfire.
The tools emerge from the creative leadership and lived experience of communities who have already gone through wildfire recovery, and incorporate lessons learned and bright ideas that were effective in practice.
Due to the abundant generosity and support from After the Fire, I was able to attend the National VOAD conference as a first time attender. This opportunity was life- changing and would not have been possible without the airfare contribution from After the Fire on Alaska Airlines. The connections and training gleaned from the conference have enhanced our program’s ability to meet the needs of our community.
We have been working collaboratively with After the Fire, a leader in the recovery and rebuild space for fire impacted communities across the country. They have shared amazing resources and have been supporters of our community as we have learned and navigated our recovery journey from the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
Tools for Community Leaders
