Sonoma State University
Carr Fire

Fire Up

Education into Action

Fire Up

Fire Up helps decision makers develop solutions to complex water challenges while training a workforce experience working collaboratively to find solutions. Projects are collaboratively identified and addressed by a cross-sector Leadership Team composed of agencies, organizations, and universities who work together to explore new solutions that might never be imagined through traditional structures. 

Fire Up is one of four CEI Education into Action programs that focus on meaningfully improving sustainability and resilience challenges of the North Bay. Because these programs are made possible through contracts and donations, we encourage you to consider supporting this effort. Fire Up is made possible by an endowment from an anonymous donor. 

Core Leadership Team

  • Lisa Bentley, Faculty SSU Biology 
  • Jay Jasperse, Chief Engineer, Sonoma Water 
  • Lisa Micheli, retired Executive Director, Pepperwood Foundation 
  • Tanya Narath, Chief Deputy Executive Director, Regional Climate Protection Authority 
  • Sophia Porter, Forest Stewardship Education Specialist, UCCE Marin 
  • Caerleon Safford, Program Manager for Wildland Fire Grants and Projects, Permit Sonoma
  • Steven Swain, Environmental Horticulture Advisor, UCCE Marin & Sonoma 
  • Erica Tom, Faculty Ethnic Literature, Santa Rosa Junior College 
  • Anna Yip, Climate Analyst, Sonoma County Office of Resilience 

Challenges Identified

  • Community Preparedness
  • Fuel Reduction and Unintended Consequences
  • Fragmented Resilience Efforts

Explore Fire Up Projects

Enter "Fire Up" at Search Projects 

Get Involved

For more information about how to get involved in a fire project, contact CEI staff listed below, see Do a Project, or find more information about partnering at Faculty or Organizations, Agencies and Businesses

CEI Support Staff 

Back to Education into Action

Community Preparedness

Public misunderstanding can prevent use of evidence-based approaches to increasing community fire resilience. Without broad public support, decision-makers are unable to take meaningful action and neighborhood scale solutions will not be implemented. Misunderstanding can arise due to the lack of unified message but also due to the complexity of the message. 

Leadership Team Membership

To develop solutions to community participation in fire preparedness, the following community leaders joined the Leadership Team:

  • Phyllis Rosenfield, M.A., Executive Director/President, Listening for a Change
  • Melissa Long, Director of Community Engagement, Listening for a Change

Workshops & Symposia

  • Fire Up: Embers of Awakening: Public event viewing of the 75-minute film "Embers of Awakening: From Firestorms to Climate Healing," now available for streaming. Locally produced by "Listening for a Change" the documentary explores how to move from mega fires to improved climate health. The film focuses on people affected by the major fires in Sonoma County, their response to rebuild homes and communities, and how we can create a path toward a safer and more interconnected world. CEI Director Claudia Luke is a featured interviewee. Following the film, CEI hosted a moderated panel discussion and Q&A with regional thought leaders and created assignments and event resources (e.g., SSU Sustainability Pledge) for faculty in biology, business & economics, chicano & latio studies, history, philosophy, psychology, socioloty and technology. 
    • Saturday, May, 21, Rialto Cinemas, Sebastopol
    • April 20, 2022, Sonoma State University
    • Friday, October, 20, 2023, Sonoma Film Institute
  • Annual Project Results Workshop - go to Past Events and search on "Fire Up"

Implementation Package

Fuel Reduction and Unintended Consequences

With funding available and the need to “do something”, fuel reduction can become a knee-jerk management approach to improve community safety. Many leaders and members of the public do not realize that although these activities can be helpful for structure protection, they are not effective at preventing or ameliorating the impact of the types of firestorms that ravaged Sonoma County. In addition, fuel reduction efforts can be harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem processes (e.g., water quality) depending where and how they are carried out, and can lead to inappropriate public expectations.

Potential Projects Identified

  • Public Education Campaign: What do leaders, members of the public and land managers know about the efficacy of fuel reduction? How does level of knowledge affect decision-making? An assessment of misconceptions, consistent messaging to address those misconceptions, and tracking effectiveness of those campaigns is needed. 
  • Effectiveness of Vegetation Management: How do we track fuel reduction treatments throughout the county and determine whether they cumulatively will increase safety or will have unintended ecosystems consequences, such as type conversion of habitat or reduction in biodiversity. 
  • Indigenous Fire Collaborations: How can we conduct fuel reduction in ways to enhance biodiversity? Partnerships between indigenous tribes and agencies are anticipated to increase beneficial ecosystem processes
  • Spatial Assessment of Fire Risk - Detailed maps showing where fuel reduction is anticipated to improve safety can increase public understanding and participation, and improve prioritization of fuel reduction efforts.