PG&E, California Fire Foundation Renew Partnership to Tackle Wildfire Risk (via T&D World)

Partnership creates grant funding opportunities for fire and community organizations to address ongoing risk of wildfires.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has renewed its partnership with the California Fire Foundation (CFF) by providing US$1.2 million for a Wildfire Safety and Preparedness grant. The partnership creates grant funding opportunities for fire and community organizations to address the ongoing risk of wildfires. Applications must be submitted by July 15, 2020, and awardee notification will begin July 31, 2020.

The PG&E’s contribution is a continuation of a three-year collaboration between the PG&E and the CFF to support fire safety awareness. In 2018 and 2019, the CFF provided funding from the annual grant to 95 fire departments and fire agencies throughout California. Funding targets specific communities at extreme or elevated fire risk as identified by the California Public Utilities Commission High Fire-Threat District map.

“The PG&E is proud to continue our support for the CFF in its work to help make California more resilient to fire risk. We all play a role in reducing the fire threat in our communities. We are committed to bolstering wildfire prevention and response by helping to ensure firefighters and residents have the necessary resources to prevent catastrophic wildfires,” said Michael Lewis, senior vice president of electric operations, PG&E.

“The CFF’s partnership with the PG&E helps expand resources to not only fire agencies but also community-based organizations around the state to educate and prepare for the wildfires we know are coming,” said Rick Martinez, executive director of the CFF. “This joint effort enables agencies to be better equipped and communities to have the resources to plan ahead, ultimately ensuring the lives and property of all Californians are protected.”

Specifically, the grant program has funded:

• Fire equipment purchases, local fire education programs, and defensible space and vegetation management efforts.

• Fire safety messaging targeting underserved communities in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, and Vietnamese.

• A statewide fire safety awareness campaign through television, radio, digital, and outdoor advertisements.

The grant program also supports the creation of fire prevention and safety education materials in multiple languages. This effort aims to overcome language barriers and increase access to educational resources among California’s underserved populations. The program’s goal is to continue building generational resilience in high fire-threat communities through resources and education.

The CFF, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, aids firefighters, their families, and the communities they protect. The CFF’s Firefighters on Your Side program, also supported by the PG&E, provides multilingual, culturally relevant fire safety messaging in both digital and print form to assist the public in staying safe.

Access the original article on T&D World.