BOERNE — The Hill Country Fire Coalition of Texas recently received a $10,000 grant in support of the May 3 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, when the group will host a Wildfire Preparedness Workshop from 10 a.m. to 1p.m at the Herff Farms Gathering Hall, 33 Herff Road.
The grant — one of only 12 granted nationally — is from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm.
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a campaign established to encourage all Americans to participate in activities on and around their homes that have been scientifically proven to help reduce the risk of wildfire ignition.
Wildfires are becoming more common, with over 11,000 acres already burning across Central Texas this year. Kendall County is among the fastest-growing counties in the nation, with 94% of development occurring in the wildland-urban interface — where wildfire risk is highest.
Christie Wiley, a Boerne resident since 2015, is director of the Hill Country Fire Coalition, formed in June-July 2024 to raise awareness among Kendall County residents to the potential for wildfires, by promoting safety and fostering fire-resilient communities.
“People have a thought process, ‘It’s never going to happen to us,’” Wiley said earlier this year, when the nation watched as wildfires ravaged luxury homes in the Los Angeles area. “Here, the drought has never gone away. The conditions remain ripe.”
The Hill Country Fire Coalition’s slogan is “Prepare, Prevent, Preserve.”
“Through property owner education, effective mitigation and community involvement, we protect lives and property by implementing strategies that create fire-adapted communities and landscapes to reduce wildfire risk,” Wiley said she wrote as a mission target for the HCFC.
With its Wildfire Community Preparedness Day grant, the Coalition will provide free property risk assessments to residents in the highest-risk areas of Kendall County. Based on findings, recommended mitigation efforts in the immediate zone (0-5 feet) around homes may include: — Removing combustible landscaping materials from the home’s perimeter.
— Removing and disposing of all flammable vegetation including dead leaves, mulch and other woody debris from the ground, roof, decks and gutters.
— Pruning any overhanging tree branches and remove any fuels within 10-foot of a chimney.
— Ensuring this area is free of any combustible materials, including firewood.
— Ensuring nothing flammable is stored under or around the structure within this zone.
The group is creating a Fire-Safe Demonstration Garden to provide educational opportunities for residents, students and visitors to Kendall County to learn how to prevent wildfire damage.
For more, go to: hcfcoftx.com or call 830-326-9031.
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