Tools
Keeping Organized
As a Firewise Leader, it’s a best practice to create a dedicated email account separate from your personal one. This ensures smoother transitions, allowing the account to be easily handed off to a new leader when needed.
Gmail is a great option since it also comes with a place to store Firewise documents, contact lists, and a Calendar to plan events and keep track of renewal dates for free.
How To Set Up A Gmail Account link
How to use Google Docs and Google Drive video link
You will find some useful Google Forms in the Forms section of this website.
How to use Google Calendar link
Organizing Your Community
No single person can handle all the tasks required for a community —and they shouldn’t have to. Communities that collaborate and share responsibilities are far more likely to succeed.
Generally, volunteering is split into three categories: neighborhood communication and education, neighborhood preparedness, and community event planning.
Don’t be afraid to find neighbors with skills and expertise.
Communicating With Your Community
There will be no platform that works for every single member of your community. Asking or surveying your members to see what everyone uses will help you make decisions. The more members you have, the more email becomes problematic because some servers will view the email as spam.
Gmail
When sending to a large group, you can create a mailing list from your Gmail Contacts. This is not intuitive, so here is a step-by-step guide.
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Mailing-List-in-Gmail
Google Groups is a free service designed specifically to help groups of people communicate. You can create a group for your community, invite members to join, and communicate with the group via email. Messages sent to the group are distributed to all members and archived by Google, allowing easy access to the message history online.
https://support.google.com/groups/answer/2464926?sjid=18010354783475167868-NC
Private Facebook Group Facebook allows users to make private groups where only those approved by its creator can see the posts. Think of it like a tailored newsfeed with just your neighbors posting about community issues.
https://youtu.be/-BU8bdX16us?si=4q3V3HA4QyFRlInR
Nextdoor App Nextdoor is designed to communicate with neighbors. It’s worth looking at your neighborhood in the app and how it compares to your Firewise Community boundaries.
WhatsApp is a secure messaging app that allows you to make groups or communities that uses phone numbers instead of email addresses.
There are pros and cons with each option.
Community vs Group: https://www.makeuseof.com/whatsapp-community-vs-whatsapp-group-difference/
How to create a Community: https://faq.whatsapp.com/438859978317289/?cms_platform=web
How to create a Group: https://faq.whatsapp.com/3242937609289432/?cms_platform=web
Walkie Talkies and Radios are a great way for neighbors to communicate in an emergency. Radios don’t require power or internet or cell network to work, so are a great way to keep communications flowing in a disaster.
https://www.redcross.org/local/washington/about-us/news-and-events/news/be-prepared-in-emergencies–how-to-build-your-own-emergency-radi.html?
a Youtube video showing how a neighborhood set up their communication system.
https://youtu.be/2xwF77jDTeA?si=bUirgFqnV2OafRrB
Keeping Informed
Emergencies and Warnings
Evacuation Zones link
Shasta County Official Evacuation Zones
Watch Duty App link
Active wildfire notifications app.
CalFire Incidents Viewer link
Active wildfire map.
Shasta County Sheriff Facebook Page link
Shasta County Evacuations and Emergency messages.
Alert California Fire Watch Cameras link
Active Fire Cameras
National Interagency Fire Center Forecast link
Fire weather predictions for the next week.
NWS California Fire Weather link
Fire weather predictions for the next week.
Shasta County Burn Day Information link
Burn day information for Shasta County.
Maps and Other Information
CalFire Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer link
What fire hazard severity zone is your home or neighborhood located in?
CalFire’s Subdivision Ingress / Egress Survey Reports map link
Subdivision reports for neighborhoods with only one way in and out.
CalFire’s Fuels Treatment Effectiveness Reporting Map link
How are fuel treatments influencing local wildfires?
Wildfire Task Force Planscape link
Shows the conditions of the landscape across California.
Subscribe to the Task Force Newsletter at the bottom of the page.
Wildfire Task Force Interagency Treatment Dashboard link
What fuels treatments are being done in your area?
California Department of Insurance Consumer Alerts sign up page link
Office of the Fire Marshall email notifications sign up link
Local Mapping
Maps are a useful tool to show your community boundaries, community goals, evacuation zones, and routes.
The Shasta County Fire Safe Council GIS Map shows fire histories and vegetation types to use on your Firewise applications.
Click the check boxes on the right of the map to toggle views on and off.
CalTopo is a free mapping website that will allow you to outline your community perimeter.
https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=40.52422,-122.33414&z=10&b=om
How to Create Your First CalTopo Map
You’ll want to add a polygon, which will give you a line tool that you can use to follow roads and boundaries of your community perimeter.