Editorial: Marin fire grants leading to important safety prep work

When Marin voters were weighing the proposed wildland fire protection tax measure, one question raised was what about those who couldn’t – either due to age, income or both – bring their homes up to recommended fire-safe standards.

Proponents of the 2020 measure, which won overwhelming voter approval, promised it would help those who needed assistance.

They are keeping that promise.

Property owners can ask for reimbursement of up to $2,500 for work to create “defensible space” around their homes.

An IJ story recently detailed the work longtime Corte Madera resident Dutch Knapp had done: clearing vegetation within five feet of his house, replacing part of his wood fence with metal fencing and installing gutter guards to keep them free of potentially flammable leaves and branches from a wildland fire’s flying embers.

Some homeowners are facing fire-safe requirements in order to keep their fire insurance.

For some, the hurdle is financial. For others, they just need help figuring out what work needs to be done and how to get started.

The Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority is stepping forward to offer its help.

Those reimbursements could be worth every penny in stemming the spread of a wildland fire, protecting the homeowners’ house and their neighbors. It could potentially lead to saved lives.

The authority has already awarded grants of $433,000, meaning property owners are making the call to get the authority’s recommendations and taking action.

Josh Hampshire, the authority’s grant specialist, says the number of grants is a reflection of public interest in being better prepared for a wildfire.

They have witnessed the tragic loss of lives and property in the sweeping North Bay fires over the past decade. For years, they have heard local firefighters who have witnessed the destruction of wildfires in other parts of the state warn that it could happen here.

Voter approval of the 2020 tax was a decisive step that the Marin public wanted to take action, implementing preventative and protective measures.

The tax has been instrumental in increasing local efforts to create wildland firebreaks that could help improve the odds of firefighters in stopping the spread and fury of a wildfire.

The authority has also worked to get local homeowners to do their part, to make their homes more fire safe.

Both San Rafael and the Novato Fire Protection District have similar programs designed to give property owners fire-safe recommendations and help them make improvements.

Those improvements not only could save their homes, but help stop the spread of fire to their neighbors’ property.

The list of property owners taking advantage of the help is not only a sign that they recognize the importance of these measures.

Fire officials believe, from experience, that they can make a difference.

The success of the Marin Wildlife Prevention Authority’s program is an important promise made to voters that it is keeping because local fire officials know the fire-safe measures could save a life, a house or, possibly, a neighborhood.