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Increase and sustain wildfire resiliency by working together, empowering people, providing education, supporting partnerships in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from wildland fire for and with the people in Yakima County.

About the Yakima Valley Fire Adapted Communities Coalition

Our purpose:

Wildfires affect all of the Yakima Valley, from air quality impacts to directly destroying personal property. We are seeing an increase in the incidence of wildfires and negative effects of unmanaged wildfire both in shrub-grasslands and forests throughout the Yakima Valley. Predictions indicate we are very likely to see more fire in our landscape, not less.

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The purpose of the Yakima County Fire Adapted Community Coalition (YVFACC) is to increase and sustain wildfire resiliency by working together, empowering people, providing education, supporting partnerships in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from wildland fire for and with the people in Yakima County.

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Everyone has a role to play before, during and after a wildfire in the Yakima Valley. The YVFACC is a forum for connecting the resources that support community resilience living with wildfire in the Yakima Valley and surrounding areas.

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The YVFACC formed in 2014 to network with residents and homeowners, fire and emergency responders, land managers, civic and community leaders, business owners and designers and developers to empower existing organizations and community members to achieve greater effectiveness in addressing wildfire issues.

A little history:

In 2014, the YVFACC worked with support from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to complete the process of developing a county-level wildland fire risk assessment. This led to the completion of a county-wide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). Coalition members provided input and support developing the county wide plans.

 

In June of 2015, with much support from coalition members, the Community Wildfire Protection Plan was approved and signed by the Yakima County Board of Commissioners and sent to the Washington Department of Natural Resources for approval. The DNR approved the plan during the summer of 2015.

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Also in 2015, the YVFACC became a member of the Washington State Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (WAFACLN). The WAFACLN is an expansion of the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. Both networks are great sources of information for fire adapted communities.

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US Bureau of Land Management provided financial support to the Yakima Valley County Fire Marshall’s Office to update the Yakima County CWPP. In addition, the YVFACC supports implementation of actions identified in other local CWPPs such as the Hwy 410/12 CWPP and the Cowiche Mountain CWPP.

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Members of the Yakima Valley Fire Adapted Communities Coalition met in June of 2015 and developed a Strategic Plan for the coalition.

 

Coalition Meetings
The YVFACC meets every other month and reviews actions identified by the CWPP and the Strategic Plan.

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Meetings are usually every month at different locations around Yakima County.

 

Coalition Members
The following organizations are members of the Yakima Valley Fire Adapted Communities Coalition:

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Get involved:

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