AMENDED Agenda Packet 2-19-20 Work Session

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Goal 1: Creating Fire-Adapted Communities Directly Addressed Enabled Conversation Transmission System Wild- fire Plan x x Defensible Space x x Building Codes x Land Use x x Property Insurance X Health - Remove Barriers to Air Filtration Systems X Disaster Recovery - Local Economic Opportunity Fund X Goal 2: Restore and Maintain Resilient Landscapes Directly Addressed Enabled Conversation Leadership & Government X X Near-Term Capital Infusion X X Prioritization+X X Near-Term Restoration Treatments X X Building Project Pipeline X X Capacity Building X X Program Expansion X Long-Term Barriers X Goal 3: Respond Safely and Effec- tively to Wildfire Directly Addressed Enabled Conversation Financing Facility X Expansion of Protected Areas X State Suppression Capacity X Supression Funding Formula X ODF Organizational Model X State-Federal Interagency Performance X Supression Collaborative X X Goal 4: Cross-Functional Support System Directly Addressed Enabled Conversation Public Engagement X X Organization & Governance X X Workforce Development X X Research & Decision Support X X Funding X X 21 GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL ON WILDFIRE RESPONSE 27 OF 37 RECCOMENDATIONS TOUCHED ON WITH THIS PROJECT TAKEAWAYS The most significant result of this project came in the community develop- ment. Even though giving a "free service" with the evaluations and potential fuels reduction work was a great package to deliver, it was met with a lot of skepticism. In the beginning, promoting the chipper day event with only a two week turnover time was not very successful and required more preperation in hindside. So I stepped away from mass outreach strategies and focused on quality opportunities that would hopefully convey our comitment to the neighborhood. I started attending community events, giving presentations, connecting local programs, referencing previous citizen concerns from collab- orative partners, and looking for endorsements from local businesses. This was the turning point, the in person interactions were by far the most success- ful medium in gathering participation. Developing genuine relationships with the people that care so deeply about their community created the foundation for how this project could succeed. Taking the time to understand the culture allowed me to understand where I could help, who we could help, and how we could help. As time went on, being able to have prominent local influencers vouch for the program along with having completed work to reference was what snowballed our public acclaim. The work itself had an extremely high variance in specifications which is ex- pected to come with such a customer service oriented mission, but put an intense strain on the NYC crews. Without specific project training beforehand, the case by case prescription details often became either overbearing or too hard to explain. The inconsistencies in interpretations of the evaluations be- tween the homeowner, crews, and myself was an all too regular occurance that consumed a tremendous amount of effort to rectify. I don't believe that anyone was misinformed, but the range of vision on the topic was so drasti- cally different by each party, this result is no surprise. ODF's ability to support this specific issue not only saved the project countless times, but has been identified as one of, if not the most critical component to elevate future it- erations. They have the unique experience to be able to intuitively manage the fluxuating standards of the homeowner while simultaneously support the technical work of the NYC crews on site. A debrief I conducted with the NYC work group suggested a longer training period, more professional led work sessions like Edgewood Park (led by PW's Evan Gammon) or classroom sessions on ecological topics would have helped their performance significantly. Additionally, having the critical equipment for this work more accessible has to be a serious priority. The transportation alone of getting the truck from the FMO, the chipper from PW, to the worksite and back after each use cost a minimum of 80 staff hours. Lastly, I believe that as strong as the results of this one time project were by triple bottom line standards, it can only be considered a true success if it is continued. The work itself requires regular maintenance and the community needs to see consistency to build the trust in the program to make it mean- ingful. Other than obviously acquiring aditional funding, concentrating on a larger investment into the work development component of this project is key. Giving the young adult crews opportunities to extend their experience of the work is the real strength of the program and what makes this program so special. With the right support, they will become the true ambassadors of the collaborative and future of this community. https://www.oregon.gov/gov/policy/Pages/wildfirecouncil.aspx February 19, 2020, Work Session – Item 2