The truth about
Wildfire Protection Plan, Hill Country Fire Coalition
Before the rise of social media, news was delivered with one purpose: to share the facts and allow the public to form their own opinions. Today, facts can easily be distorted into narratives that serve personal or political agendas.
To the residents of Kendall County: Don’t be misled. Ask questions. Attend meetings. Seek out the truth, not speculation.
Here are facts about the Kendall County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and the Hill Country Fire Coalition of Texas: 1. The CWPP was created entirely through volunteer service. No county funds were used. The Kendall County CWPP was completed and approved by the state of Texas following more than 3,000 hours of donated time from the project manager, who led the effort in project coordination, stakeholder engagement, risk analyses and technical writing.
Additionally, other core team members also volunteered their time. No county funds were paid to anyone involved in its development; there was no contract, no stipend and no payment of any kind.
2. County funding supports implementation, not creation. In 2024, the Kendall County Commissioners Court, by unanimous vote, chose to sponsor the Hill Country Fire Coalition, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to implement the CWPP.
This was not to pay for the plan’s creation, but to support its execution, since the county did not have the personnel, capacity or technical expertise to take on the work alone.
3. Despite recent claims, I am not from California, nor have I ever lived there. However, I did serve on a national interagency incident management team based out of California that responded to the country’s most complex wildfires.
I spent over half my career working on national wildfire policy with a focus on risk management and firefighter safety. I led the CWPP project and now direct the Coalition full-time on a volunteer basis. I receive no salary or compensation.
Our team of volunteers, including retired fire chiefs and other seasoned professionals, share this same ethic of service.
4. The Coalition is delivering real results.
We conduct public workshops, offer free, confidential property risk assessments, support fuels reduction work, and collaborate with state partners and officials from the insurance industry to explore insurance relief strategies.
While not required, we provide quarterly updates to the Commissioners Court and maintain an open channel of communication through regular newsletters and public engagement.
This work is not about politics or profits; it is about protecting our communities. It is a grassroots, neighbor-helping- neighbor effort focused on keeping people safe.
If you have questions, ask us. If you want to get involved, volunteer. If you want to understand the plan, read it, attend a workshop or request a risk assessment.
The more informed and engaged we are, the more fire-adapted and resilient our community becomes.
As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
The Hill Country Fire Coalition is here to give. We invite you to be part of the solution. The truth is always available, just ask.
Christie Wiley is the director of the Hill Country Fire Coalition of Texas, a nonprofit dedicated to wildfire mitigation and safety in Kendall County.
Prior to retiring, Wiley worked for the U. S. Forest Service's Fire and Aviation Management organization and the U. S. Department of the Interior's Office of Wildland Fire. You can contact Christie at: www. hcfcoftx. com/ contact.
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