Kimlin McDaniel Keith, RRNO FireWise Team Leader, had this to share about the experience:
Redwood Ridge Neighborhood Organization (RRNO) is a Montclair Organized Neighborhood of about 82 homes defined by three streets: Wilton, Burton, and Shirley, and the contiguous houses within that have Skyline addresses. Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is literally our backyard, and
many of our residents have lost their fire insurance in the last few years.
RRNO has had neighborhood picnics since the 1950s and a robust history of emergency response preparedness. Last summer, our Emergency Response Coordinator invited Firewise Lead Joelle Fraser of the Oakland Firesafe Council to present the Firewise USA® program and a small group of us volunteered to work on becoming a Firewise recognized neighborhood.
Small but Mighty
As team lead, I committed to helping our small but mighty committee spend most of our time in action, not in meetings. One member developed a spreadsheet to track time and money spent on Firewise related activities to meet the requirements and consolidated the individual assessment data. The two other team members did our community assessment with the help of Oakland Fire Inspection Supervisor Adam Ball and Fire Inspector Eric Stessel. Their write-up included maps and info from our Emergency Response team, and suggestions on how to make our neighborhood more resilient.
Joelle was with us every step of the way and invaluable in helping us submit our application within a few months.
Our meeting with OFD in July 2024 for a neighborhood tour. Pictured L-R Peter Seidl, Rama Rothe, Fire Inspector Eric Stessel, Fire Inspection Supervisor Adam Ball, and Carl Schneidinger.
Three-Year Plan
After ironing out some details , we received word on December 20th that we had been approved and are starting our work for 2025 renewal now. Our three-year plan includes our next educational event which will be on Wildfire Emergency Preparedness and engaging more of our neighbors in active fuel reduction and home hardening. We will strengthen our collaborative relationship with East Bay Regional Parks since much of the fire danger to our neighborhood is next door to us.
~ Kimlin McDaniel Keith, RRNO Firewise Team Leader with team members Peter Seidl, Carl Schneidinger and Rama Rothe
The (NFPA) Firewise USA® recognition program was designed to help residents learn about wildfire risks and provide a self-directed, collaborative framework for neighbors to work together to reduce these risks by engaging in fuel reduction and home hardening activities.
Oakland Firesafe Council is encouraging Oakland neighborhood groups to join the growing network of more than 1,500 Firewise USA® sites from across the nation by taking ownership in preparing and protecting their homes and communities against the threat of wildfire. LEARN MORE