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SAN GABRIEL VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
One Valley. One Voice.
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Regional Community Wildfire
Protection Plan (CWPP)
The SGVCOG is developing a regional CWPP to protect our communities and their assets against potential wildfire hazards.
What is a CWPP?
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is a community-based plan focused on identifying and addressing local wildfire hazards and risks. CWPPs are authorized and defined in Title I of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA), passed by Congress in 2003.
A CWPP determines what is at risk and provides a roadmap of actions for a community to address the wildfire threat. A CWPP includes, at a minimum, three central components:
Collaboration
A CWPP must be collaboratively developed. Local and state officials must meaningfully involve non-governmental stakeholders and federal agencies that manage land in the vicinity of the community.
Prioritized
Fuel Reduction
A CWPP must identify and prioritize areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments and recommend the types and methods of treatment that, if completed, would reduce the risk to the community.
Treatment of Structural Ignitability
A CWPP must recommend measures that homeowners and communities can take to reduce the ignitability of structures throughout the plan area.
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Why develop a CWPP?
With its rugged mountains, steep terrain, Mediterranean climate and sometimes windy conditions, there are significant areas of very high and high Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZs) within the San Gabriel Valley.
Following the 2020 Bobcat Fire, the SGVCOG recognized a need for a Regional Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) to guide wildfire prevention and adaptation efforts in the San Gabriel Valley.
A CWPP addresses regional vulnerabilities during a wildfire which include increasing human population, limited congested evacuation routes, communication ‘dead-zones’ and multi-jurisdictional boundaries.
Figure 1. CWPP Plan Area and Fire Hazard Severity Zones
Development Process
Through collaborative stakeholder engagement, the CWPP will assess wildfire challenges, conduct hazard and risk analyses, and evaluate local preparedness capabilities across SGV's 31 member cities. The plan will incorporate findings from city policies and hazard analyses, establishing community maps identifying hazard severity zones. The Draft Regional CWPP, developed with modeling, mapping, and community input, will undergo stakeholder and public review before being agreed upon by member agencies.
Figure 2. CWPP Development Process
Collaboration
Through monthly stakeholder working groups, SGVCOG conducts outreach about the CWPP and gathers inputs. The Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) includes representatives from member cities and regional organizations. The SWG helps to ensure that the regional Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is comprehensive, and that member cities and agencies are included in wildfire planning. The SWG serves as a platform for discussions, feedback, and the formulation of wildfire regional initiatives.
A Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is helping to inform a wildfire emergency evacuation assessment. The TAG includes representatives from various entities -- fire agencies, law enforcement departments, transportation commission, and emergency services. This multidisciplinary collaboration enhances evacuation planning and response efforts.
We are hosting a series of stakeholder workshops and community conversations with the general public, environmental organizations, housing associations, property owner associations, fire safe councils, and other interested parties to gather valuable feedback for the regional CWPP development process. Additionally, the team is planning evacuation specific workshops and community surveys.
Contact
Mackenzie Bolger
Senior Management Analyst
mbolger@sgvcog.org
Paulina Mejia
Management Analyst
pmejia@sgvcog.org
Funding for the San Gabriel Valley Regional Community Wildfire Protection Plan provided by the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Fire Prevention Program as part of the California Climate Investments Program, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.
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