Buena Vista Twp.

Firewise Grant Reimbursement Proposal

Submitted to: NJ Department of Environmental Protection

Date: November 23, 2021

Daniel Bononcini
Buena Vista Twp. Land Use Administrator
890 Harding Hwy
Buena Vista Twp., NJ, 08310
856-697-3859
Summary

This grant proposal is to help the Buena Vista Twp.( Twp.) community in preventing

wildland fire disasters. The area has conducted the same practice from last year with an

awarded grant to improve the community. The Twp. has learned a lot from last year's

actions to improve the wildland fire prevention skills. There have been two more

meetings with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the New Jersey Forestry Service

this year than last year's two, totaling four this year. Training has improved as more

information about the Twp. has been added such as fuel loads. More residents have

been getting involved as last year's totals were around 200 residents and now are at

650. Through improving the Twp. Over the past year a lot more contact information for

residents has been acquired from the hiring of multiple professional agencies such as

contact laborers. Overall more residents have improved their properties towards

pushing back ignition zones and wildfires have been lower than the year before. In an

all-new part of this year, packets have been sent to each of the resident's households so

that fire prevention numbers can triple this year. The continuation of the grant would

increase future progress and allow for more training to be held within the budget.
Statement of Need

The Buena Vista Twp. board of directors has received multiple requests from its

population of 7,300 to acquire more incentives for the wildland fire prevention to

continue to protect the surrounding community from wildland fires. Within the Twp.

wildfires have caused a lot of damage to multiple houses and structures. This not only

causes insurance companies to spike up costs but also it destroys valuable property to

residents, and poses health threats. Wildfires have increased dramatically through the

past couple of years burning more acres than ever due to global warming

(Harrisson,2021). This is a large problem that needs to be addressed before the Twp.

and the surrounding neighborhoods become affected.

The previous 2020 Firewise grant has helped with the purchasing of equipment and

training for residents in need within the Twp. A grant reimbursement would allow extra

funds to go towards the continuation of protection against wildland fires for more

homeowners within the township.

Project Description

All residents within the Twp. are at risk of all types of wildland fires such as woods fires,

grass fires, and field fires. The grant would allow for extra training opportunities and the
purchasing of equipment for residents that can not afford it. The NJ Forest Fire Service

(NJFFS) would be hired to host training meetings within the East Vineland Fire Co.

meeting room and it would be an open event for all living within the Twp. This would

allow the residents that were not able to attend previous Firewise training to learn about

the protection of their properties from wildland fire. Also, it would allow residents that did

attend previous meetings to become even more aware of wildland fire safety protocol

when doing yard maintenance. Updated information with new techniques would also be

able to be implemented from the NJFFS if they were to be hired again through the grant

reimbursement. The equipment purchased through the grant for the residents would

include rakes, shovels, weed whackers, lawnmowers, and other yard maintenance

equipment to move ignitable material away from the homes. Lawnmowers and

weed-whackers would be able to cut high grasses around the homes that would be

extra fuel to possible fires.

Significance of Project With Goals & Objectives

Within the Twp. there are still many homes and properties that need attention, as they

either have not fully maintained their fuel load densities or do not even know about the

Firewise program. Another reimbursement would allow for a stronger push to the

residents to attend the training as mistakes are noted from the previous year. The

stronger push would bring more residents to the meetings and allow them to fully

understand how important it is to protect their property. Also, the reimbursement would

give enough incentives to provide even more residents with equipment so that the Twp.
can become an even more Firewise community. The main goal of the future project if

the reimbursement is received is to make sure most, if not all of the residents within the

community understand the Firewise program and how it can help their properties.

Objectives

● To train more of the residents in protection of property and life against wildfires

● Educating the public in the importance of maintaining their property and to

encourage the residents to spread the word to possible neighbors, family, or

anyone they know

● Being able to purchase the needed equipment such as weed wackers, rakes,

and shovels for residents that can't afford it within the most wildfire-prone areas

● For the Twp. public works to gain knowledge on how to point out wildland fire

hazards during work hours so that they can properly be taken care of

● Make sure everyone within the Twp. is mailed a packet that touches upon the

Firewise program and has access to various information

● To be able to present the training dates early so that more residents would be

able to attend.
Literature Review

Within Firewise communities around the country, different procedures need to be

followed to create a safer wildland fire buffer. Each procedure or guideline is

recommended by the wildland fire agency within each area. It is up to each different

community to put these recommendations to work from the Firewise program. They

have to put forth an effort to clean up properties and then they can apply for a grant

from the Firewise program to purchase extra equipment and to hire wildland fire

personnel for training courses. This review looks over the best plans of what other

communities have done within the Firewise program to make their properties safer. The

main focus is finding the best possible plans that have been implemented to improve

and maintain the property to move the ignition zone farther away from homes, and

where to acquire the best training for the communities.

Moving the ignition zone away from structures and houses prevents loss of valuable

items, more time to escape from the property, and higher survival rates. It is found that

moving brush and other ladder fuels close to the structure or house away by 30 feet or

more increases survival rates (Behm, 2004). Also, knowing what species to plant

nearby might save time as some plants have higher flammability than others. Setting up

risk assessment plans is important as they save time because the plan will provide the

residents with know what to do in case of a wildland fire (Dunn, 2020). When a risk

assessment plan is made it is known what piece of property is more at risk to wildland

fire. This allows for action to be taken to remove brush or any other flammable object
away to save time. Not only can developing a risk assessment plan help the property

owner prepare for wildland fires, but it also helps professional wildland firefighters. This

helps wildland firefighters by allowing them to enter the property easier which allows for

a quicker save of the property by extinguishment or a quicker time for emergency

services to save residents (Haynes, 2020). So management of the property is crucial as

it can save a life or valuable items as each second added counts.

Some of the best training for communities is just a simple search on the internet to

understand the basics of wildland fire sources. Learning how to maintain yards to buffer

the ignition zone is important but as Hesseln explains it is equally as important to learn

the science of how wildland fire occurs ( Hesseln, 2018). Not only is understanding how

fire is started important, but also taking data collection as it can improve future fire

prevention plans ( Thompson, 2019). As Thompson goes on he explains how training

communities in data collection will allow wildland fire agencies and other communities to

develop even better actions to maintain ignition zones. The training offered by local

agencies is crucial to be used by communities as they are proven to reduce more

wildland fires per year than communities that did not use the training ( Muha, 2014).

Even if a community does not receive a grant from any program like the Firewise

program, it is still possible to gain training through contacting local wildland fire

agencies. If communities are putting forth the effort in conducting wildland fire

prevention then the next year a grant could be awarded as effort is being shown to

prevent wildland fires.

The Firewise program is not just meant to provide grant money to communities but it is

also to inform and educate so that communities on their own can create their wildfire
prevention. This can be done as explained by communities learning what to remove

from properties to lower and push back ignition zones. Also, communities hosting

various meetings a year could always improve knowledge of how wildland fires develop

and what newer techniques are being used. Every year new plans are developed

throughout the world and there are successes and failures, it is best to learn from them

so that lives and property can be saved. It has been shown throughout many studies

that if resources are used then learning, planning, and executing plans would be easier

and correctly done.

Methodology/ Personnel Involved

Within the Twp. actions have taken place that follows the NJFFS guidelines to lower the

chance of wildland fires destroying properties. The NJFFS and the New Jersey Forestry

Service ( NJFS) have been contacted and used to survey the high-risk wildland fire

areas within the Twp. They assessed each of the high-risk areas over a month and gave

pointers as to how to take care of the other properties not assessed. The Twp. is 41.58

mi² of mostly farmland, woodland, and not that many homes. The NJFFS and NJFS had

a total of ten employees assess the properties for a total of twelve days within a month.
Once the properties were assessed three training meetings were held during summer

with the NJFS and the NJFFS. Three different meetings allowed for residents to choose

a date they could make to learn how to take care of their properties before the fire

season in the fall and mainly spring. For the residents that could not attend they were

mailed a packet of information on how to maintain their properties and a list of contact

information of professionals willing to help. Also, within the packets was a survey that

was to be sent back to the Twp. to understand what equipment, if any, was needed by

the residents. Future meetings were also listed on the Twp. website to discuss what

exactly needs to be done with certain properties.

Within the meetings, there was training and afterward discussion in which the residents

could ask the professionals important wildland fire questions. The training included the

NJFFS and NJFS going over many important topics such as vegetation management,

home improvement management, property management, and most importantly safety

protocols. During the summer there were also two times when the NJFFS and the NJFS

went down the highest fire potential area roads within the Twp. with the local fire

departments. They went door to door to give a quick explanation to the residents about

wildland fire prevention and then handed them important information as talked about

above.

The vegetation management portion of the training explained how it needs to be cleared

around important areas of the home or structures. This was listed at five feet away as

the immediate zone ( no brush, vegetation, woodpiles). The intermediate zone is 5-30ft

away which can include a couple of small trees, bushes, and or garden. Lastly, the

extended zone states that debris should still be cleaned up at 30-100ft and trees should
be spaced at 6-12ft apart from one another (NFPA, 2021). The vegetation management

also included clearing brush and debris away from important hazardous areas such as

propane tanks and woodpiles.

Home improvement was also an important aspect of the training as it taught residents

how decks should be placed, which kinds of siding to use, and where to place certain

objects. Fences around houses should be made of metal but if already placed of wood

then vegetation and flammable debris should be moved away. Within the immediate

zone decking and other attached flammable objects should be not in direct contact with

woodpiles or high grasses. Also, all debris should be cleared from underneath decking.

Removal of debris in gutters is also an essential part as embers can quickly ignite it.

Residents were also urged to contact a contract laborer to assess what repairs need to

be done that can help prevent easy ignition such as roofing, siding, and types of

screening.

Within the property portion of training, residents were taught what to keep an eye on to

clean up or remove from the yard. If trees or bushes were too close together as

explained above through the various zones they should be removed or relocated farther

away. The NJFFS and the NJFS also explained to residents that for a low price they

could come out and assess each property individually to let the resident exactly know

what needs to be done if they were not comfortable. Also, it was explained to the

residents that any tree that could fall and reach any structure needed to be removed as

it could catch a house on fire during a wildfire.

Lastly, the most important portion was safety management within the Twp. This was

applied to not just residents but the whole surrounding area. Residents were taught how

to make escape plans with the best possible routes in case of a major fire. Also,

residents were given a QR to scan to sign up for the Twp. OEM services would alert the

resident ahead of time before it's too late. In case the resident could not escape in time

they were urged to create the best possible entrance route for emergency services and

to alert them as quickly as possible through 911. The NJFFS and local fire departments

took the time to go over the most vulnerable areas in case a major fire broke out they

would respond there first to make sure everyone gets out. Another important safety tip

was to keep an eye out within the Twp. if there were suspicious bonfires that could go

out of hand, neighbors not keeping up with wildland fire prevention with their properties,

and any sort of illegal flammable dumping. If any of it is spotted the resident was urged

to contact the Twp. hall or 911 if it's a serious matter. It was taught that neighbors

creating wildland fire potential can not only harm themselves but also could affect the

surrounding area.

Budget

Project Activity GRANTEE GRANTEE MATCH

ESTIMATED (VOLUNTEER SERVICES
EXPENDITURES OR CASH)

Firewise Meetings/ $3,000 $2,250

Trainings
-Firewise door to door
-1.5 hr at two days at
$750 per hr

-3 meetings at $500 per

 hr with NJFFS and NJFS
- each meeting was 2 hrs

Equipment $695 $750

-any equipment needed
by residents
-3 weed wackers at $100
per individual
-7 rakes at $35 per
individual
-3 wheel barrels at $50
per individual
-30 hoses at $25 per
individual

Contractor Assessments $1,000 $500

-$100 per assessment
-10 occured
-5 privately

Firewise Mailed Packets $2,250

-3,000 per household
-$.75 per packet

Total $4,695 $6,050

Total Project Amount $10,745

Grant Award $5,000

Bibliography

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Gilbertson-Day, J. (2020). Wildfire risk science facilitates adaptation of fire-prone
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Muha, J. (2014). Delineating Firewise Communities/USA® Developing Self-Mapping

Techniques for Communities for Wildland Fire Behavior Modeling.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/geog_ms_capstone/55/
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Thompson, M.P., Wei, Y., Calkin, D.E. et al. Risk Management and Analytics in Wildfire
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