Enclosure 3A - Project Summary Form
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Wildland Urban Interface Fuels / Education and
Prevention / Community Planning for Fire Protection Projects
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Kittitas/Yakima Firewise
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
509-962-7000
509-962-7682
derald@co.kittitas.wa.us
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
411 North Ruby, Suite 4, Ellensburg Washington, 98926
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Derald Gaidos, Kittitas County Fire Marshal
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Kittitas County Building & Fire Safety
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
509-962-7000
509-962-7682
derald@co.kittitas.wa.us
Project Information
Project Title:
Kittitas/Yakima Firewise 2002-1
Project Start:
Project End:
June 1, 2002
September 30, 2003
Federal Funding Request:
Total Project Funding:
$148,464.00
$148,464.00
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize:
No, not at this time.
Brief Project Description:
Kittitas/Yakima Counties Firewise has been previously awarded funding for a coordinator position to
assess the wildfire dangers of approx. 2700 at risk homes, priortize these homes, secure funding
and oversee the contractural implmentation of fuels reduction. Within Kittitas & Yakima two sites
have been selected as priority high risk, high danger and in high fire activity areas. (1)These areas
are able to be protected as a group with shaded fuel breaks and right of way clearing providing
defensable spaces and breaks in the fuel continuity. (2)The reduction of fuels in the "common
owned areas" of the sub-divisions will allow these areas to be demonstration sites for the
community to use as an educational site. (3)Individual home site prescriptions wil be available from
trained staff with a roaving chipper that will be available for homeowners to be able to change the
biomass to chips rather that attempting to burn the altered fuels. This plan will allow the best in
protection from wildfire for these properties.
Project Location:
County:
Congressional District:
Sky Meadows & Goose Prarie
Kittitas & Yakima
4th
Project Type: Check appropriate project type. More than one type may be checked. If only Box (4) is checked, use Enclosure 4.
(1)
(2)
Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Project
Wildland Urban Interface Education and Prevention Project
(3)
(4)
Community Planning for Fire Protection Project
Fuels Utilization and Marketing Project
If the applicant is an unincorporated area, define the geographic area being represented:
Sky Meadows is SE of Cle Elum approx 3 miles, Goose Prarie is W of Yakima 34 miles
Enclosure 3B (Page 1 of 3) - Project Narrative Description
Applications for funding must include a narrative response that describes the proposal. Please do not submit responses longer than one page,
single space, 12-pitch font.
Describe project including, but not limited to:
 project location
Address these
 project implementation
items as
 anticipated outcomes
applicable:
 measures and reporting
 partners





project income
project time frames
specify types of activities and equipment used
amount or extent of actions (acres, number of homes, etc)
environmental, cultural and historical resource requirements
Kittitas/Yakima County Firewise Grant 2002-01 is to implement fuel reduction at two priority high
risk, high danger, high fire activity areas. These two site are the Number One sites of each of Kittitas and
Yakima Counties. These sites have similar problems that have prioritized them as sites needing immediate
attention. Each has been a planning nightmare for the jusidictions providing fire protection for many years.
The sites were allowed by officials in a time when wildfire was not the problem that we have now.
In the past 40 years these developments have done little to remove the fuels that have continued to grow since
the developments were first planned. At the time of inception these developments were never thought to be
anything other than part-time recreational use. As years have passed the homes have become larger and
become fulltime recreational and even full-time residents. With the buildout of the home sites approaching
75% capacity, being supplied with substandard road systems, water systems that were for domestic use only
with no planning for fire flow, and building construction types that were not designed for the fire resistivity,
the fire danger has increased dramatically.
This project is being operated under a two county coordinator, as fire has no legal boundries. Within Kittitas
& Yakima Counties the anticipated outcome of the project is reduced ground fuels that will allow the fire
proofing of these subdivisions. The partners of this project will be: Sky Meadows and Goose Prairie Home
Owners Associations along with USFS, DNR, Kittitas County Building & Fire Safety, Yakima County Fire
Bureau, Kittitas County Fire Districts #1, #2, #3, #4,#5, #6, #7, #8, Cle Elum Fire, Ellensburg Fire, Roslyn
Fire, S. Cle Elum Fire Departments, Yakima County Fire Districts #2, #12 & #14.
Response:
The time frame to start the project is in the Summer of 2002 and finish in the Summer of 2003. Approx. 430
homes will be protected by this project of mechanical and hand fuel reduction work.
The National Fire Plan will be supported by the interagency attempt to reduce fuel loading at sites where
previous lack of fire planning efforts have lead to less than favorable firesafe sites within Kittitas and Yakima
Counties putting all at risk who live there and all that would respond to these locations.
As the 2002 Fire Season is approaching the urgency to implement this plan is utmost. If the fire season does
not directly impact these homeowners associations by way of fires, the teachable moments of last year's
drought should be used before a year of normal precipitaion clouds the dangers of wildfire.
The fire dangers will never leave these developments of past planning efforts, without fuel reduction
programs to lessen the transmission of wildfire. The roads, water system and houses are already in place. We
can alter some of the variables but most are cemented in stone. Fuel reduction in a constructive manner will
allow the public to enjoy their property and still be in as safe as possible development. By using chippers to
reduce the fuels to another state the enviromental aspect of the project will enhance the forest.
Enclosure 3B (Page 2 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
Applications for funding must include narrative responses that address the following four criteria. Within each criterion, subcriteria are listed in descending order of importance. Limit your responses to the areas provided.
1. Reducing Fire Risk. (40 points))
A. Describe how the proposal promotes reduction of risk in high hazard areas or communities.
B. Describe how the proposed project benefits resources on federal land or adjacent non-federal land, or how it protects the safety
of communities.
C. To what extent does the project implement or create a cooperative fuels treatment plan or community fire strategy (include
evidence of the plan if it already exists)?
D. Explain to what extent the affected community or proponent has been involved or plans to involve the affected community in a
qualified fuels education program (e.g., FIREWISE).
E. Explain how the proposal (a) leads to, enhances or restores a local fire-adapted ecosystem, and/or (b) mitigates or leads to the
mitigation of hazardous fuel conditions.
F. How will the proposed treatments be maintained over time?
Response: :
K-1 & Y-1 are both in high hazard, high risk, high fire activity areas. By reducing the dangers of
transmission of fire between homes and wildland, risk to surrounding areas will be lessened. By reducing the
fuels of the sub-division, the paths of fire department access and evacuation will be made safe. With the
chance of slowing and or stopping the fire in a sectioned area of a sub-division the spread of the fire would be
controlled by the shaded fuel breaks. The proposed work is in areas already atune to the fire dangers. Both
developments had fire losses in 2001, were effected by the drought of 2001 and experienced the effects of
large scale fires from the fires of Washington State in 2001 . This project would follow the National Fire
Plan by reducing fire risk, increasing local capacity, expanding community participation and increasing
interagency coordination. Both Kittitas and Yakima County Employees have participated, hosted and been
speakers at FIREWISE Community Workshops within Washington State. Future FIREWISE Workshops are
planned for 4-17-2002 & 4-27-2002 for local to be involved with. This plan will allow for mitigation of the
removal of biomass from one state to another. The chips spread on the forest floor will inhibite growth,
provide for moisture retention, add to erosion control and soil enhancement. The owners of the land will be
in charge of the maintenance of the fuel breaks for future considerations.
2. Increasing local capacity. (30 points)
A. How would the proposal improve or lead to the improvement of the local economy in terms of jobs and sustainable economic
activity? How many jobs are expected to be created or retained and for how long (please distinguish between essentially yearround and seasonal jobs)?
B. To what extent will this project be offered to serve as a model for other communities?
C. Will biomass or forest fuels be utilized; if so, in what manner and how much?
Response: The project
will educate the public and the homeowners associations while treating the ground fuels
in the high risk subdivisions. These homeowners in these subdivisions will have the fuel treatment done to
common areas and road right-of-ways. By providing this work, individual home owners will follow with the
same style of fuel reduction. While the areas have many such developments, the trickle down of jobs is
expected as education furthers the need for fuel reduction will increase. Fuel treatment work is expected to
support 6 jobs in the area. These contractors are displaced timber workers who have changed their jobs and
are using previous skills to maintain an income. The expected extent of the job outlook is for a minimum of 5
years and then an ongoing maintenance of the treated fuel areas. These jobs are weather related and seasonal.
All reports are available to any and all agencies upon request. We have used information from other
jursidictions and feel strongly about the positive effects of sharing information. At this time all chipped
material is placed back on the forest floor due to lack of marketability of this low grade chip from industry.
Market changes would and could make the biomass chips a marketable product.
Enclosure 3B (Page 3 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
3. Increasing interagency and intergovernmental coordination. (15 Points)
A. Describe how this project implements a local intergovernmental strategy plan, or creates such a plan. Describe the plan if it
already exists.
B. Explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning among federal, state, tribal, local government and
community organizations. List the cooperators.
Response: At
this time K-1 & Y-1 are in locations that have good working relationships with responding
agencies both local, state and federal. In new proposals of sub-divisions within the urban interface areas, the
process is such that comments are gathered from all agencies to allow the latest available best common
practices to be used to protect the residents of the new as well as the surrounding developments. Our older
sub-divisions are at 75 % buildout and these developments are less than firesafe. Re-building roads and
altering structures is impratical. Fuel reduction is the only possible way to firesafe these areas practically
speaking. We in Kittitas/Yakima Counties are tackling the Urban InterfaceWildfire as piority in our problem
solving efforts. By having a controlling effort on the new development and a effort to solve past problems we
believe that the wildfire issue could be controlled as much as possible with the implementation of these
projects. Local FD's have tried to lead the effort to do something with these dangerous fire areas for years.
Recent years have showed that fuel reduction is in effect, mimicking fire with the results that promote good
forest health. The partners of this project will be: Sky Meadows and Goose Prairie Home Owners
Associations along with USFS, DNR, Kittitas County Building & Fire Safety, Yakima County Fire Bureau,
Kittitas County Fire Districts #1, #2, #3, #4,#5, #6, #7, #8, Cle Elum Fire, Ellensburg Fire, Roslyn Fire, S.
Cle Elum Fire Departments, Yakima County Fire Districts #2, #12 & #14.
4. Expanding Community Participation. (15 Points)
A. To what extent have interested people and communities been provided an opportunity to become informed and involved in this
proposal?
B. Describe the extent of local support for the project, including any cost-sharing arrangements.
C. What are the environmental, social and educational benefits of the project?
Response: Public meetings
have been held at these sites promoting fire safety and this year Sky Meadows will
have a FIREWISE workshop for their sub-division specifically. They understand the dangers that are within
their development and have started taking steps to make it a safer place via increasing water avalability and
some individual fuel reductions. Meeting of these groups have lead to plans being formed awaiting funding.
A 2001 FIREWISE project was done in the Upper Kittitas County with a coordinator that did contractural,
public and media projects. The ability of an individual homeowner to receive a prescription was also done by
the coordinator training fire fighters of districts to do the work within their districts. A fire prevention group
was brought back to life as the FIREWISE Coop with individual, corporate and govermental persons being
involved. This Coop is meeting once a month and held a FIREWISE worksop in Fall 2001for local persons
with good results. Support of these projects is very well received as the need for the fire prevention is very
evident and we have a very special connection as four wildland fire fighters who died in 2001 and they all
were from these two counties. Our counties are very sensitive about wildfires, and at this point we have a
teachable moment to utilize. The cost sharing will be one by all involved through in-kind work for this
project. The project will chip all product thus lessening the dangers of fire and promoting clean air.
Enclosure 3C - Project Work Form
Tasks
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Completeing a proactive plan for fire risk
danger of Kittitas And Yakima Counties. A
prioritization of the site will be use for the
work to attempt to secure funding
2-01-02
Decide the prioritized sites
3-15-02
Kittitas/Yakima Firewise Group
Receive funding
ASAP
USFS/ Federal Goverment
Meeting of all Partners in project, scope work,
finalize plans, prepare bids, advertize bids.
Funding + 45 days
Kittitas/Yakima Firewise Group
Open bids, hire contractors start work
Funding + 60 days
Kittitas/Yakima Firewise Group
Start work
Funding + 75 Days
Kittitas/Yakima Firewise Group
Complete work and end contract
9-30-03
Contractors & Kittitas/Yakima
Firewise Group
Kittitas/Yakima Coordinator
Enclosure 3D Project Budget
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
Total
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Personnel
Subtotal
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Fringe Benefits
Subtotal
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Travel
Subtotal
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Equipment
Subtotal
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Supplies
Subtotal
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Contractual
Subtotal
$0.00
Other
Grant
$148,464.00
Subtotal
$148,464.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$148,464.00
$0.00
$148,464.00
Total Costs
$148,464.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$148,464.00
Project (Program) Income1
(using deductive alternative)
1
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Program income is the gross revenue generated by a grant or cooperative agreement supported activity during the life of
the grant. Program income can be made by recipients from fees charged for conference or workshop attendance, from rental
fees earned from renting out real property or equipment acquired with grant or cooperative agreement funds, or from the sale
of commodities or items developed under the grant or cooperative agreement. The use of Program Income during the
project period may require prior approval by the granting agency.