Latest news with #firemitigation
CBS News
24-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Small nonprofit gets big help from Denver Broncos' Garett Bolles with fire mitigation: "I'm a protector"
On the pine-rich land in Elizabeth, where beetle-kill has run rampant, fire mitigation is critical. That's why dozens of volunteers stepped in to help a small Colorado non-profit ranch in a big way. "We're going to start thinning out the dead trees, removing some of the overgrowth in the canopy," explained Drew Hanna of Team Rubicon. "The idea being that if a fire were to impact this area in the future, it'll be less of a threat to the homes and structures to the folks who live out here." Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization, teamed up with USAA for the days-long work at Eagle's Nest Ranch. And, to help with some of the heavy lifting, they brought in Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles, who couldn't hold back from being on the front line. "Being an offensive lineman and being a protector, when I got this call, it was just a dream come true to come out here and protect our local communities," said Bolles. A dream come true, he added, because of the important work the equine therapy ranch does to support veterans and first responders. "Coming from a military family myself," Bolles said, "it plays very close to my heart." With a lot of heart and sweat, hundreds of trees on the ranch's 40 acres were trimmed, chopped, and cleared. Then, the branches and logs were loaded into a woodchipper to make mulch that will be used to fill a family park on the ranch. For the ministry ranch's founder, it was an emotional process to witness. "It's pretty amazing for a little non-profit to have everybody converge and do all the tree work," said Suzy Stanfill, founder and executive director of Eagle's Nest Ranch. It's especially meaningful, she added, knowing the fire mitigation work will help protect a place dedicated to those who protect us. "We're here to provide life support for our nation's heroes," Stanfill said. One of those heroes is U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jamie Minner. He started coming to Eagle's Nest Ranch in February, seeking support, as well as a place to volunteer. "Having friends in the military who committed suicide, it was important for me to get connected to an organization that catered to veterans and first responders," he said. And through the ranch and its horses, Minner has found healing. "The connection that humans and horses can have, and the emotions they feel from the human, is special," he said, adding it was special seeing so many volunteers helping to protect the property. "This is a lot of work, and it's nice to see an organization support the effort to do it." And it's all special thanks to a protector of quarterbacks. "That's what I do on a regular basis," said Bolles. "I'm a protector; it's one of my favorite things to do. It's what I was born to do." "It means a lot that you would take the time to come out here," Stanfill said to Bolles. "I wouldn't miss it in a heartbeat," he replied. Eagle's Nest Ranch was founded in 2014. Its faith-based programming supports veterans and first responders as well as their families. Stanfill said any veteran, firefighter, police officer, or other first responder in need of support is welcome to find healing at the ranch. For more information, including how to volunteer, visit
CBS News
10-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
FEMA grant fuels goat-powered fire mitigation in Sacramento County
Goats have become an all-too-familiar sight in the Greater Sacramento Region when California's wildfire season approaches. As we enter mid-June, goats are hard at work in Mather taking out dry brush to try and mitigate fires. But this year, Sacramento County says they're working with extra dollars to help those mitigation efforts, being awarded a FEMA grant just shy of $200,000. This means the county can cover areas prone to fire that they couldn't before. "In years past, we've had a large number of fires break out at our properties, and it's tragic, and we don't want to see it again," said Ken Casparis, county spokesperson. The county showed us a large section of land that the goats just mowed down, leaving no dry brush in sight. It's evidence of just how much vegetation these goats can take out in critical areas. "It's pretty much areas that are difficult for our manned crews to get to, and then if we have a lot of large open spaces, that would take a lot of staff time," Casparis said. Tim Arrowsmith, a managing partner of Western Grazers, a Northern California goat grazing company, says about 600 of his goats can get through a couple of acres. He says they rest in the winter and that the dry grass does little to keep them nourished. Arrowsmith said the goats need to be provided "minerals, a lot of salt and molasses" to stay healthy during the grazing season. Nearby neighbors couldn't be more thrilled about the visitors. "I love them because they're taking the fire hazard away from the perimeter of the neighborhood," said Adam Sotherland, who lives in the area. "It's nice having the furry creatures running around the neighborhood."
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Berkeley working to implement new fire mitigation rules, but cost issues remain
With temperatures expected to heat up, fire danger is top of mind in some Bay Area communities, especially in the Berkeley Hills, where there is a heated debate on how to best fireproof homes. George Perez Velez has lived in the Berkeley Hills for 22 years. He said every year, he's complied with every rule to keep his home safe from the next big fire. "We believe in fire mitigation," said George Perez Velez. "We believe and respect firefighters. We understand their job is hard, and we believe in having a shared responsibility for public safety. But when someone says this is allowed, this is not allowed, the kind of disconnect of what we're getting, it's not there." Perez Velez is referring to the EMBER proposal which is in the process of being voted in by the Berkeley City Council. EMBER stands for Effective Mitigations for Berkeley Ember Resilience. It would require residents to clear anything flammable within 5 feet of homes, including trees and plants. Perez Velez feels the city didn't do enough to get feedback from the community and doesn't have a plan to pay for it. "The assumption that a fixed-income person or retiree or anyone can pay out of pocket $5,000 to pay for a fire break for the city without creating a mitigation fund to help folks, it's quite disingenuous," he said. Berkeley Councilmember Brent Blackaby said he hears the concerns of the residents in his district but has to weigh those concerns with how best to protect roughly 1,800 homes in the high fire severity zone. "We know the next fire when it comes is going to start in the park and come over to the homes here," said Councilmember Brent Blackaby. Blackaby said that with the state passing Proposition 4 last year, it will invest a billion dollars in fire prevention over the next 12 months. The city has also secured a million dollars from Cal Fire and is working on a transfer tax credit system to offset the costs. "People know if we're going to do this right, we need to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to participate and financing it is a big part of that," Blackaby said. But after seeing the devastation of the fires in Southern California, he felt the city needed to find a way to give firefighters a better chance to save homes. "This is going to take some time," he said. "No one says instantaneously you need to have sort of everything fixed but it's a journey. It's a process. And it's time to start moving towards to process to achieve the safety that we need." Perez Velez has started an organization called the Alliance for Practical Fire Solutions to find what he calls sensible new regulations. "For 20 years we had fire inspections," he said. "For 20 years, they told us do this, do this, do this, and you're in compliance. Now all of a sudden, all that doesn't work."
