TAHOE CITY, Calif. – The Tahoe City Public Utility District joins over two dozen agencies and organizations forming the Wildfire Solutions Coalition, which launched at the end of June with the goal of securing long-term sustainable funding for community wildfire resilience throughout California.

TCPUD is the first Tahoe-based member to join the coalition aimed at harnessing sustainable funding to fully implement California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.

The district discovered the coalition through existing partnerships with the Association of California Water Agencies and the Sierra Business Council, both members, and found its mission aligned with the district’s values.

“In the end, it all helps us,” TCPUD’s director of strategic affairs, Kim Boyd said, “whether it’s increased pace and scale of fuel reduction treatments in the basin, work to help home hardening or community infrastructure resilience.”

The coalition was formed out the belief that California has invested heavily in firefighting, but more investment needs to go towards preventing catastrophic fire.

Prevention’s cost effective potential is one reason for the coalition’s initiative, citing a study that found that for climate related catastrophes, every $1 invested in resilience and disaster preparedness saves $13 in economic impact, damage, and cleanup costs after the event.

“We’ve seen some of these fires with such high intensities that they literally kill the soil,” Boyd said. “So, the regeneration of that forest just it takes so much longer, which impacts the health of the watershed.”

It’s a reminder why getting ahead of catastrophic fire with prevention is important. Not only can it reduce the overall intensity of fires and allow forested landscapes to regenerate faster, Boyd explains, it also makes saving lives and homes easier for firefighters.

Wildfire Solutions Coalition is focused on science-based and proactive solutions, including protecting watershed, forests and communities, investing in fire prevention and forest management, workforce development, supporting tribal stewardship and cultural burning.

TCPUD hopes to use its influence in the coalition to draw attention to water system needs and the vital role these systems play in firefighting.

“We just want to make sure, if there’s an opportunity to improve water availability for firefighting, that we’re able to have that in the conversation,” Boyd says, as people may not realize the limitations of these often old and small systems in California’s mountain towns. Many systems are currently failing, and lack capacity, flow or pressure for fire hydrants and firefighting.

“You just don’t realize that [water] can run out,” Boyd said, explaining some can run out after just two hours.

It’s a wildfire resiliency priority issue for the district, which is currently in the middle of two water system replacement projects (Tahoe Cedars and Madden Creek water systems) to address those concerns within TCPUD’s boundaries.

With partners across many different sectors, the coalition offers a diverse group of voices united over a shared understanding. Members come from conservation entities, fire, area councils, and foundations to name a few. TCPUD has found the coalition to already be a great resource for both sharing and learning amid a rich pool of knowledge.

Not only does the coalition bring many perspectives to the table, but it also leverages its resources and influence to effect change.

“It takes a lot of effort to reach out to legislators, go to the Capitol, write letters, request budget items and things like that,” Boyd says. “I think just having that strong team is super helpful because you share the load.”

For more information on Wildfire Solutions Coalition, visit wildfiresolutionsca.org.