How to become a fire-adapted community

Larkspur Vice Mayor Catherine Way and San Rafael Council Member Rachel Kertz are board members on the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority; they can be reached at info@marinwildfire.org.

In 2020, Marin County voters overwhelmingly approved something no other county has done in California. They created the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority — the first joint powers authority (JPA) exclusively dedicated to local wildfire protection.

There is now a single agency in Marin coordinating the response to the rising threat of wildfires. Marin County voters took the initiative to protect their communities with the creation of Marin Wildfire. The agency’s $21 million annual budget is funded by a property tax measure, which the voters can renew in ten years.

“For all of us, the threat of wildfire is a constant presence,” said Julie McMillan, Marin Wildfire board president and Town of Ross Council Member. “Now we are systematically doing something about it rather than crossing our fingers or wringing our hands.”

It’s not a matter of “if” but “when”

In early California, wildfires were part of the natural environment. However, for over a century, land management practices treated wildfires with immediate suppression. Decades of fire suppression, coupled with climate change, have  dramatically increased wildfires’ size and intensity. Building in or near forests and natural vegetation — an area known as the wildland-urban interface — has only made wildfires worse.

In Marin County, the concern over wildfires is profound. The hillside topography, vast open space, and heavily forested areas make the area extremely susceptible to fire.

When the Northern California fires of 2017 caused tremendous destruction throughout the region, Marin was spared. Nevertheless, witnessing the speed and intensity of multiple fires was a major wake-up call for local leaders and residents throughout the county.

It was not a matter of “if” that could happen in Marin, but a matter of “when.”

With this renewed awareness, a broad coalition of elected officials, fire experts, and community stakeholders came together to reimagine fire safety through a holistic lens that would break down the jurisdictional boundaries of Marin’s various cities and towns. Ultimately, this vision took the form of the new JPA among nearly all of Marin’s municipalities, which would help the region become fire-adapted through a systematic, coordinated approach.

“Marin residents understood that we needed to be prepared in this new era of wildfires,” said Mark Brown, executive officer of the Marin Wildfire. “The reality is that these fires know no boundaries. Collectively, it is up to each of us to take proactive measures before a major fire comes to our doorstep.”

Read the full story in the March issue of  Western City magazine.

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