Projects
Wildfire readiness
Playing without fire
Helping communities find direction and confidence to help themselves before they face the fire.
Project overview
Wildfires are sudden, scary, and unpredictable. Large ones may disrupt the daily lives of people across large geographic areas, while drawing the vast majority of response resources to fighting the fire. This leaves most people to fend for themselves.
What’s the goal?
The purpose of the project is to grow CCL’s training program, improve the social resilience of 3-4 local communities, and prepare the way for on-going local training programs.
What are we doing?
We are designing an immersive learning experience to increase social resilience in the face of wildfire threats, and will conduct pilot events in 3-4 local communities.
When will it happen?
The project is projected to take 6-8 months, with pilot events taking place May and June of 2022, and data analysis and evaluation reporting wrapping up by the end of July.
What will we produce?
Tested materials for delivering and evaluating a live learning experience, including train-the-trainer materials.
Project plan
The project comprises (overlapping) five phases:
- Define learning objectives and pilot program requirements
- Design learning experience and evaluation measures
- Develop pilot program logistics and support
- Deliver pilot events
- Debrief project participants and data
Each phase yields its own deliverables, and involves different collaborative partners:
2021 Wildfire Advent Calendar
We are celebrating the 2021 holiday season with 24 days of giving!
Each day from Dec 1 through Dec 24, we will share a wildfire-related tip, bit of trivia or science. Follow us on LinkedIn, join our holiday mailing list, or check back here daily to join in the fun. Support our Wildfire Project by spreading the knowledge and making a donation.
Wildfire tribute
Share this post to help spread wildfire readiness. Donate now to help us to do the same.
Please help us to set some fires!
The 2021 Wildfire Advent Calendar has been brought to you by Creative Crisis Leadership, a fledgling nonprofit organization with an award-winning new approach to community disaster preparation and a mission to prepare people to be unprepared. Now it’s your...
Your greatest asset
“I think the key to my, our experience is, the fact that we were a very, very tight knit community helped immensely.” — JD, 2020 CZU Lightening Complex Fire survivor We often hear from people that those around them were what helped most in getting through a disaster....
When in doubt, throw it out!
Yesterday, we talked about some specific tips and tricks that will help you prepare to evacuate. What about some fun facts around lesser known wildfire evacuation tips and tricks, though? First, let’s talk about refrigerators, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of...
Getting Ready to Evacuate
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” While the history of this phrase is unknown, it still holds true. Now, we’re not here to talk about planting trees (although that also helps with wildfire recovery), but rather being...
Wildfires run faster
Remember the wildfire in Bambi? Where Bambi and all other the animals are running for their lives from the wildfire? The fire that was started by an unattended campfire? The scary thing is, this scenario is both realistic — animals try to outrun a wildfire —...
Prescription Rx for our forests?
Photo from WikiMedia Commons Prescribed burns are nothing new. Native Americans incorporated controlled burns into their culture not just to reduce wildfire fuel, but also as a vital tool in their agriculture and industry. “Indigenous people have been...
Embers happen!
In 2020, a series of wildfires burned in Napa county CA. My mom lived just 25 miles away. She was worried. She had heard that embers can blow miles downwind from a fire and burn down houses. Was she right to be worried? Short answer: No. The Napa fires never...
17,325 gardens and a scrapie thingie
Photo from InciWeb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons “What people don’t often realize is that hand crews are kind of the cornerstone ... putting in hand lines, that’s essentially the way we stop the fire from growing.” — Mike Johnson, Assistant Fire Chief,...
It ain’t over till it’s over
Just because the fire is gone, doesn’t mean the crisis is over. There is much to do after a fire has swept through your neighborhood. Returning home Here are some key safety steps Calfire urges you to take when returning home after being evacuated: First of...
Can Mary get arrested?
Mary has a little lamb. In fact, she has twenty-seven of them. One day, a wildfire breaks out. Mary, her farm, and all her little lambs are in the evacuation zone. Mary’s lambs and all their moms won’t fit into her pickup truck, so she doesn’t want to go. Can...
How are wildfires measured?
Humans have been counting for a long time. There is strong archeological evidence to support the hypothesis that we’ve been doing it for at least 50,000 years. Over time, mathematics has come to be known as a universal language. Globally, we may have different...
The 5 phases of disaster management
Disaster management, one aspect of emergency management, provides a framework for understanding disasters and how we handle them. There is some debate about the specifics, but the model we have found most useful defines 5 steps: Prevention - We can take actions...
Community programs: Firewise and CERT
If you want to go beyond protecting your house from wildfire, and help your community to prepare, there’s some good news. Community organizing takes commitment and hard work. But it can be a lot of fun, and, in the case of wildfire preparedness, there’s help to...
Who causes more wildfires? Humans vs Nature!
Have you ever heard the catchphrase, “Remember... Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires”? If so, then you’re familiar with one of the longest running public service campaigns in the United States, promoting wildfire safety. Did you know that wasn’t Smokey’s original...
Do not hesitate, evacuate early!
“With the fires, my job was to leave.” So says Barbara, who had to evacuate in the face of the Santa Cruz fires. Outside of the very real trauma of potentially losing her home, she found that evacuation was “smooth and easy.” No traffic. No rushing. And no anxiety of...
How do you fight a wildfire?
Fighting a wildfire is not like fighting a house fire. When a house is on fire, the goal is to put the fire out as quickly as possible. This is mostly accomplished by pouring water on the flames, depriving it of oxygen and reducing the temperature of...
Don’t drone near a wildfire
Drones can be a valuable tool for gathering information and learning about what’s going on in a disaster area. They can also make matters worse. When it comes to fighting wildfires, aircraft are used to drop fire retardant and water, monitor fire conditions,...
Change the odds, save your house
Why do some homes burn and some don’t, when wildfires burn through inhabited neighborhoods? In this 10-minute video, Glass Fire Post Fire Analysis - For Residents, a fire chief leads an educational tour through a neighborhood that was ravaged by the Glass Fire...
“My God, it’s so simple!”
“My God, it's so simple, ... to prepare for this. It's basically being sure your roof and your gutters are clear. And that you've raked ... a walkway, ... around the house that doesn't have combustible material. … because they [the fire department] explained...
Don’t inhale!
A few months ago, we were swimming in smoke. Well, not me. I stop outdoor exercise when wildfire smoke pushes the Air Quality Index (AQI) above 125. Even though that’s below the 150 “Unhealthy” rating. You see, AQI only measures five major pollutants:...
Wildfire, it affects EVERYONE
Wildfires affect EVERYONE. This statement might seem extreme. Especially, if you live in a city — far from trees, or much of anything flammable really that you can see. It isn’t. Burning biomass contributes significantly to climate change, and wildfires burn a...
Fire Tornadoes
This video will give you a new respect and awe for the power of nature: https://www.wired.com/video/watch/extreme-events-fire-tornado Fortunately, these extreme phenomena are not something to worry about in our everyday lives. “True fire tornadoes have only...
How do wildfires get their names?
You’ve heard of baptism by fire. But what about baptism of a fire? Hurricane names are drawn sequentially from a pre-established list that is managed by the World Meteorological Organization. Wildfire naming isn't as systematic. In California, wildfires are...
From our blog
Burning Truth #9: You may be away from home for 4 weeks. Or more.
Imagine that you’ve just learned that a wildfire is approaching your home. You are under an Evacuation Warning, meaning that …
Welcome to the 2024 Holiday Calendar!
In keeping with our tradition of giving back during the holiday season, we are delighted to kick off our 2024 Holiday Calendar: 9 …
Meet the Team: Lindsay Burr!
From our blog
Burning Truth #9: You may be away from home for 4 weeks. Or more.
Imagine that you’ve just learned that a wildfire is approaching your home. You are under an Evacuation Warning, meaning that …
Welcome to the 2024 Holiday Calendar!
In keeping with our tradition of giving back during the holiday season, we are delighted to kick off our 2024 Holiday Calendar: 9 …
Meet the Team: Lindsay Burr!
Get involved
Communication Tools Analyst
Volunteer
Help us find the best communications tool to manage live training events.
Details
START
As soon as possible
DURATION
1-3 months
DESCRIPTION
We need a simple and easy-to-use communication platform that supports fun and engaging interaction between participants during training events. Can you help us research existing tools used in gaming, simulation and/or communication and determine if they can be adapted to meet our needs?
Partner
We’re looking for community partners to give us input on local needs, and work with us to deliver pilot events in their local communities.
Sponsor
Sponsor a single event, invest in a community pilot, or support the project so we can increase social resilience locally, now, and globally, going forward.
Partners in wildfire
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