If I were to ask you to think of fighting wildfire, in your mind is one already burning? Your answer is most likely yes, which isn’t inherently wrong but there is more than one way to fight fire, even if there is not one actively burning.
Today I sat with Lauren de Terra of Butte County Fire Safe Council (BCFSC) to discuss who she is, what she does for work and what that work does in our community. BCFSC is a grass-roots, 501(c)3 non-profit community organization. In simple terms, the work that is completed by BCFSC is funded entirely through grant awards and donations from the community.
Lauren is the director of community engagement at BCFSC. Her title does not begin to cover the myriad of tasks and duties that she completes, handling everything from planning events, such as the Grazing Festival, to reaching out to homeowners about programs that may benefit their properties, organizing teams of volunteers, planning workshops and trainings, and youth education including the beloved Ready Racoon.
On top of doing this, Lauren helps connect the ongoing projects and programs to the community, as well as connecting them to each other. You may be wondering – how on earth does one person handle all of these projects? The answer is with lots of help and strategy!
The team at BCFSC is composed of about 40 individuals that come together to make things happen in our communities. Right now there are two informational videos that are in the works set to be released early next year that focus on how prevention efforts from BCFSC have made a difference in both the Thompson and Park fires that took place over this summer. These videos are the first of their kind, and will be a tangible way for community members to see that the work put in does have a positive impact.
While the ultimate goal is to bring fire prevention and awareness to the communities that BCFSC serves, there is always work to be done in order for the connection to stick. When I asked Lauren what her favorite project or event has been her favorite to work on in our community, she let me know that the Grazing Festival has been her absolute favorite event to plan.
“It has been so fun to see what was a small event (few hundred people), turn into a large sponsored event with a a few thousand attendees” stated Lauren. “It is great to work with the local grazers,” Lauren said with a laugh and tap on my knee – “and to work with the other wildfire focused agencies to connect fire issues with something fun like goat yoga and watermelon eating contests.”
Personally, the Grazing Festival is one of my favorite Paradise events! However, I may be biased – my family is one of the groups of local grazers, and have played a large role in the Grazing Festival since introducing this event in 2021.
The positive response from community members following the Grazing Festival showed that many have an interest in grazing which led to two goat ownership workshops in Cohasset and Oroville. At these workshops, local grazers speak about their experiences owning goats for fire fuel mitigation to provide curious community members with more information on what it is like to start a herd of their own.
Another very successful BCFSC project has been starting Firewise USA communities. There are now 29 Firewise USA communities, and this number is still growing. National Firewise USA is a recognition program that provides homeowners a collaborative framework to connect with their neighbors to increase fire resistance in their neighborhoods.
There is always work to be done, and with such a large area to service BCFSC is always expanding their programs and team to meet the demands that a wildfire prone area brings to the table. If you are interested in joining as a member, volunteering or finding more information regarding wildfire safety please visit the Butte County Fire Safe Council’s website at https://buttefiresafe.net/.
Another great way to find more information regarding ongoing projects and upcoming events is by “liking” BCFSC on Facebook and Instagram, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Lauren also suggests signing up for their monthly newsletter that comes right to your email inbox as a simple way to be more connected.
When asked for a summary on what it is the Butte County Fire Safe Council does, Lauren stated “We do treatment on the multi-acre landscapes down to helping the individual landowner to result in more balanced forest and bring health to the community.
The work completed by individuals like Lauren de Terra and the staff of BCSFC show that much more goes into firefighting than putting out fire!
As students and faculty that live in communities that are often faced with devastating wildfires, it is important that we conduct individual research on the entities that are offering services to become more fire resistant. This article barely covers the tip of the iceberg when it comes to local organizations that have full teams of individuals that have dedicated their careers to researching, planning for and preventing catastrophic events.
If you have a local fire safe council find out when their meetings are and attend! They are free and a great place to find information. On December 4, the 18th Annual Wildfire Safety Summit will be happening at the Paradise Elks Lodge – click here to register to attend – it’s free!
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Dooming the Broom at an Adopt a Forest Event. Sarah Thais (Left) and Lauren de Terra (right).
Courtesy of Lauren de Terra'
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Hanski Family at the Paradise Grazing Festival in 2023. (Left to Right: Swede, Allison, Chloe (dog), Aubrey, Emma, Maija and Stefanie).
Photo courtesy of Allison Hanski.'
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BCFSC Booth at Johnny Appleseed Days. Paradise, CA 2024.
Photo courtesy of Lauren de Terra.'
