Welcome to the Pacific Region Garden Clubs, Inc.
Firewise communities
Pacific Region Director's Project
My special Project for the 2025-2027 term is:
Firewise Communities
I want you all to become familiar with Firewise Communities. This is a national program that could be the key to protecting nearby homes and businesses from the next catastrophic fire.
FIREWISE is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association. Through training and local fire prevention projects, FIREWISE aims to encourage property owners to take proactive measures to prevent fires from destroying their homes and businesses.
Helping community members join together to be more proactive in wildfire preparation is what the FIREWISE COMMUNITIES program is all about. The program provides you with benefits such as learning how to prepare a “defensible space” around your home and driveway. In these defendable areas, firefighters can more safely and effectively protect your home and property from a wildfire.
The FIREWISE COMMUNITIES programs provide fire professionals who are there to assist residents in creating an action plan designed to help them reduce wildfire risks around their homes and neighborhoods. The program provides you with tips on the right vegetation to use, where to plant it, and how to manage all the vegetation around your home, helping you to create a more fire-safe environment.
Today, there are more than 1,300 recognized FIREWISE COMMUNITIES nation-wide. Learn about the simple steps to becoming a FIREWISE COMMUNITY, and the resources available to you to help prevent wildfire losses around your community. Neighbors working with neighbors taking ownership in reducing wildfire risks has proven to be the most effective tool in helping communities survive a wildfire.
I would like the states to familiarize themselves with the FIREWISE COMMUNITIES in their neighborhoods and report back at Conventions and through articles in the WACONIAH about what they have learned.
Here is the list of contacts created for each Pacific Region State.
Alaska
Sarah Saarloos
DNR, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection
550 W 7th Ave, Suite 1450
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: +1 907 301-0971
Arizona
Aaron Casem, Prevention & Mitigation Officer
Dept of Forestry & Fire Mgt
1110 W Washington St
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: +1 602 771-1403
California
Visit CAL FIRE’s readyforwildfire.org
for the California Firewise USA Jurisdiction Contact Map
and specific California Criteria, including required templates
for the wildfire risk assessment and 3-year action plan.
Hawaii
Michael Walker, State Protection Forester
Division of Forestry & Wildlife
1151 Punchbowl St, Rm 325
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Phone: +1 808 587-4188
Idaho
Tyre Holfeltz, Community Fire Program Manager Idaho Department of Lands
3284 W Industrial Loop
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815
Phone: +1 208 666-8653
Nevada
Donald Lovejoy
Community Wildfire Defense Grant Coordinator
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Nevada Division of Forestry
901 S Stewart St, Suite 1001
Carson City, NV 89701
Oregon
Christie Shaw
Oregon Dept of Forestry 2600 State St, Building D
Salem, OR 97310
Phone: +1 503-871-2539
Washington
Guy Gifford
1111 Washington St SE MS 47037
Assistant Division Manager
Olympia, Washington 98504
Community Resilience Program, WA Dept of Natural Resources
Phone: +1 509-990-6218