OverviewThe Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) program works with communities to reduce wildfire risk within the wildland-urban interface through improved land use planning. CPAW’s team of professional land use planners, foresters, risk modelers, and researchers provide free, customized technical consulting services and training over the course of one year. Specific services may include risk modeling, development of community planning policies and regulations to address wildfire, guidance on wildfire mitigation, and other recommendations to address local wildfire risk to the built environment.

CPAW assistance is voluntary and provided at the request of the local government. Local jurisdictions retain sole authority for implementation of any land use planning recommendations provided through CPAW. 

During the 2018 cycle, four communities will be selected through a competitive application process. CPAW services are provided at no cost to the community.

Application EligibilityAny community in the U.S. can apply, and eligible jurisdictions include towns, cities, or counties with authority over local land use and zoning decisions. (Unincorporated communities require county application). Only applications demonstrating support from both the community’s planning and fire departments will be considered. Communities should be willing to commit staff time and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding, but communities are not responsible for any direct costs associated with CPAW.

Application Tips Applicants are encouraged to review the CPAW website at planningforwildfire.org,

especially the Frequently Asked Questions and community profiles. Letters of support from elected officials are encouraged but not required. Other supportive materials (e.g., local WUI maps) are accepted if applicable to a response

below. Contact us with any questions or for additional guidance.

Application Instructions & Process1. Complete the following application jointly with your community’s planning and fire

departments.

2. Submit the application to CPAW by September 29, 2017 (5:00 p.m., Mountain Time). Completed applications should be emailed as a Word Document or PDF attachment with “CPAW Application” in the subject line to Ben Yellin (ben@wildfireplanning.com).

3. Qualifying communities will be notified and scheduled for interviews October 12-19, 2017. Interviews last approximately 1 hour and should include representation from your land use planning and fire departments.

4. All applicants will be notified by November 15, 2017 of their final selection status.

5. If selected to receive full assistance, two primary staff participants will be requested to attend a Land Use Planning and Wildfire Forum in Boulder, CO on January 24-25, 2018. All travel expenses for the Forum are paid by CPAW.

Contact us with questionsFor any questions regarding this application or the CPAW program, please contact CPAW Team Member Ben Yellin: ben@wildfireplanning.com, 847-754-8745.

The CPAW program is a partnership between Headwaters Economics and Wildfire Planning International. It is funded by grants from the U.S. Forest Service, the LOR Foundation, and other private foundations.

In accordance with Federal law and the U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

2018 CPAW APPLICATION

1. Name of community applying to receive assistance:

2. List the name, title, email and phone number of the primary planning department contact to participate in CPAW:

3. List the name, title, email and phone number of the primary fire department/district contact to participate in CPAW:

4. Estimated population size of the community:

5. Briefly describe the history of wildfire activity in or near the community over the past century (250 words or less):

6. Briefly describe whether any wildfire hazard or risk maps are available at the local scale (if known), when they were last updated, and if there is a need to develop a more thorough wildfire risk analysis in the community (250 words or less):

7. Briefly describe the community's wildland-urban interface (WUI), including any history of structure loss or other impacts due to wildfires, known development pressures (e.g., permits for new subdivisions, future land use map showing planned growth areas), or other WUI planning considerations (250 words or less):

8. List the community's primary land use planning documents (e.g., Land Use and Development Code, Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulations, Comprehensive Plan, or equivalents) and note whether any of these have been recently updated or are anticipated to undergo an update within the next year (250 words or less):

9. List additional wildfire-related outreach and planning efforts in the community (e.g., Community Wildfire Protection Plan; Local Hazard Mitigation Plan; Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network; WUI Code or similar wildfire regulations; Firewise Communities; Ready, Set, Go!; Cohesive Strategy pilot project; FEMA mitigation project):

10. Briefly describe any other examples of local collaborative efforts between planning staff, emergency management, and/or the local fire authority (e.g., local council or working groups) (250 words or less):

11. List any potential community leaders, partners, or advocacy groups who could be a potential supporter of CPAW (include name, title, and a brief explanation of why they would an advocate for this program):

12. Briefly describe any previous attempts to implement similar WUI planning activities, or known opposition groups within the community that may significantly delay CPAW implementation:

13. Briefly list and describe the level of engagement with adjacent and regional land management agencies (e.g., US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, state agencies, land trusts, neighboring local jurisdictions):

14. Briefly share what else we should know in terms of why your community is best suited to receive technical assistance to improve its current WUI planning efforts (500 words or less):

Email completed applications to Ben Yellin at ben@wildfireplanning.com by 5:00 p.m. MT on September 29, 2017.