COALITIONS AND COLLABORATIVES INC

Experts warn that year-round fire season is the new normal. Wildfire is no longer “if” it will occur, but rather “when.” Wildfires burned 9,781,062 acres in 2017. The aftermath leads to flooding, emotional distress, and the need for leaders to support the recovery process. Coming together with industry experts will allow us to utilize lessons learned from others and have better planning for each recovery process.

The Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT) program grew from a desire to change the status quo and make a difference in places affected by fire. The team, for which Jonathan Bruno acts as team lead, perfectly complemented his desire to make a larger impact. All of the experiences that Jonathan has gained through the creation of the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) forestry program are embedded within the CMAT concept. CMAT harnessed the breadth of knowledge within a multidisciplinary team of mitigation professionals to embed themselves within a community, listen, learn, and guide positive action.

CMAT assesses the local conditions, reviews the barriers, and dives in feet first. We review what works and what does not. The team helps the local community make the necessary connections it needs to succeed and leaves it with the tools it needs to move forward. Like Coalitions and Collaboratives, Inc. (COCO), CMAT does not do the work for a community; instead, we facilitate

This national level training from Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc. and the USDA Forest Service is designed for current or future mitigation specialists, wildfire program leads, and others who work with residents and their communities to reduce wildfire risk. The Mitigation Best Practices training concentrates on science, methods and tools that will help you engage communities/residents while also helping you to eliminate ineffective practices.

Participants should come with a basic understanding of wildfire, how homes burn, and vegetation management practices. The course assumes you know how to mitigate, but that you could use support engaging your community. In this workshop, you will work through some of the greatest challenges facing our wildland urban interface communities. The course will help you break down ineffective practices to make space for the more effective ones with a focus on the on-the-ground mitigation activities.

Wildfire risk reduction activities are not easy and require passion and skill. When we first started developing the wildfire risk reduction programs at the Coalition for the Upper South we faced a steep learning curve. We made mistakes and learned hard lessons. If only we had someone to guide us through the work and steer us away from pitfalls. Someone that could have shared what works and what does not, someone who shared Mitigation Best Practices. The Mitigation Mentors Program is based on this simple idea; share mitigation best practices and provide critical support as you embark on your risk reduction journeys.