California Required
3-Year Action Plan
Defensible space is required at all times for all buildings or structures within California’s State Responsibility Area under Public Resource Code 4291 and for Local Governments with designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones under Government Code 51182.
Community Description
Our community includes 765 developed parcels, and 137 undeveloped parcels that are located within the wildland urban interface of the West End of Donner Lake. This proposed Firewise USA™ Site Community Wildfire Action Plan was developed by performing a Firewise Risk Assessment with the Truckee Fire District. Our goal is to develop a strategy to incrementally increase outreach, educate, and implement efforts to make our neighborhood and the surrounding area more fire resilient. The WEDL Firewise Community is surrounded by Donner Lake, Truckee Tahoe Land Trust which includes the historic Donner to Dutch Flat trail, and Donner Lake Memorial State Park. The area is a significant recreational area for the Tahoe Basin Community. WEDL is surrounded by the Truckee River watershed which provides drinking water to Western Nevada and the Truckee area. In the event of a forest fire the watershed will be compromised. WEDL Firewise Community is working to protect homes and properties by removing heavy ground fuels and dead and downed trees in West End Donner Lake.
Year 1 – 2024
Education and Outreach Goals
· 1. Continue to update homeowner contact information database to include new homeowners and the addition of South Shore Drive to facilitate communicating directly with homeowners
· 2. Maintain the existing WEDL Firewise Community website - https://www.westenddonnerlakefirewise.com/. Update Firewise Community website to provide information on action plan initiatives and accomplishments as well as educational materials and links to emergency services.
· 3. Introduce Firewise Community initiatives and wildfire prevention educational materials through HOAs, POAs, and the neighborhood communities. Residents will be notified of educational materials through Firewise committee members and email notifications. Information will be posted on the WEDL Firewise Community website.
· 4. Presentation of Firewise Community accomplishments and focus for HOA membership meetings. Provide educational materials to HOA and POA members.
· 5. Install a FireWise roadside signs with link to our Website for latest updates
Home Hardening Goals
· 1. Conduct Firewise USA® educational events informing residents and landowners of Defensible Space tactics and Home Hardening techniques, emphasizing the Ember Zone – 0-5 feet of home.
· 2. Provide resources regarding CalFire Home Hardening and Fire Smart Landscaping to the WEDL Firewise Community.
· 3. HOAs to continue fuel reduction and defensible space maintenance in open space / common area forest, HOAs budget funds annually.
· 4. Work with residents to improve the number of homes that have removed flammable materials 0–5 feet from the home. 20% increase from 2023.
Evacuation Planning (Ex. Preparedness and Routing) and Wildfire Preparedness
· 1. Continue discussions with Donner Memorial Park to improve the secondary evacuation route on South Shore Drive.
· 2. 2 community members to become CERT certified
· 3. Increase % of homes in the general community that have visible, reflective house addresses for easy identification by emergency personnel by 25% over previous year.
Year 2 – 2025
Education and Outreach Goals
· 1. Continue to update homeowner contact information database to include new homeowners and the addition of South Shore Drive to facilitate communicating directly with homeowners.
· 2. Maintain the existing WEDL Firewise Community website - https://www.westenddonnerlakefirewise.com/. Update Firewise Community website to provide information on action plan initiatives and accomplishments as well as educational materials and links to emergency services.
· 3. Introduce Firewise Community initiatives and wildfire prevention educational materials through HOAs, POAs, and the neighborhood communities. Residents will be notified of educational materials through Firewise committee members and email notifications. Information will be posted on the WEDL Firewise Community website.
· 4. Post educational materials on the WEDL Firewise website
· 5. Update and distribute a handy “quick guide for evacuation” to be distributed to homeowners for posting in their homes to review with family, visitors, and renters.
o Include signing up with CodeRED,
o Distribute via HOAs, real estate offices, title companies, county tax bills, etc.
o Include evacuation routes
· 6. Presentation of Firewise Community accomplishments and focus for HOA membership meetings. Provide educational materials to HOA and POA members.
Home Hardening Goals
· 1. Send email to WEDL Community regarding Home Hardening techniques, emphasizing the Lean and Mean Zone – 5-30 feet of home.
· 2. At DLPOA Annual Meeting – discuss Home Hardening techniques and benefits to the community.
· 3. Work with Truckee Fire District to identify homes that would benefit from Home Hardening.
Fuel Reduction Goals
· 1. Continue working with HOAs and on their a five-year plan for defensible space maintenance and wildfire prevention and will update as needed.
· 2. DLPOA beach clean-up day to remove ladder fuels and downed debris from the Lakeside Park
· 3. Continue discussions with Town of Truckee and Truckee Tahoe PUD to remove dead trees and downed debris plus ladder fuels and limb trees within their 10’ right of way along public streets. Plus remove trees within 10’ of power lines. Work with residents to improve the number of homes that have removed flammable materials 0–5 feet from the home. 20% increase from 2023.
· 4. Work with residents to improve the number of homes that have removed flammable materials 0–5 feet from the home. 20% increase from 2024.
Year 3 – 2026
Education and Outreach Goals
· 1. Continue to update homeowner contact information database to include new homeowners and the addition of South Shore Drive to facilitate communicating directly with homeowners
· 2. Maintain the existing WEDL Firewise Community website - https://www.westenddonnerlakefirewise.com/. Update Firewise Community website to provide information on action plan initiatives and accomplishments as well as educational materials and links to emergency services
· 3. Introduce Firewise Community initiatives and wildfire prevention educational materials through HOAs, POAs, and the neighborhood communities. Residents will be notified of educational materials through Firewise committee members and email notifications. Information will be posted on the WEDL Firewise Community website.
· 4. Post educational materials on the WEDL Firewise website
· 5. Update and distribute a handy “quick guide for evacuation” to be distributed to homeowners for posting in their homes to review with family, visitors, and renters.
o Include signing up with CodeRED,
o Distribute via HOAs, real estate offices, title companies, county tax bills, etc.
o Include evacuation routes
· 6. Presentation of Firewise Community accomplishments and focus for HOA membership meetings and DLPOA. Provide educational materials to HOA and POA members.
· 7. Work with residents to improve the number of homes that have removed flammable materials 0–5 feet from the home. 20% increase from 2024.
Home Hardening Goals
· 1. Send email to WEDL Community regarding Home Hardening techniques, emphasizing the Reduced Fuel Zone 30-100 feet of home.
· 2. At DLPOA Annual Meeting – discuss Home Hardening techniques and benefits to the community.
· 3. Work with Truckee Fire District to contact homeowners that should implement Home Hardening.
Fuel Reduction Goals
· 1. Continue working with HOAs and on their a five-year plan for defensible space maintenance and wildfire prevention and will update as needed. There are WEDL Firewise Community members living full time in the West End communities.
· 2. Continue to support DLPOA beach clean-up day to remove ladder fuels and downed debris.
· 3. Continue discussions with Town of Truckee and Truckee Tahoe PUD to remove dead trees and downed debris plus ladder fuels and limb trees within their 10’ right of way along public streets. Plus remove trees within 10’ of power lines.
Evacuation Planning (Ex. Preparedness and Routing) and Wildfire Preparedness
· 1. Ensure implementation of the improve the secondary evacuation route on South Shore Drive through Donner Memorial State Park.
· 2. Additional community members to become CERT certified, in addition to the 4 community members that were CERT certified in 2024 and 2025.
· 3. Increase % of homes in the general community that have visible, reflective house addresses for easy identification by emergency personnel by 25% over previous year.
· 4. Ensure that signs are placed on South Shore Drive indicating secondary evacuation route through the Donner Lake Memorial Park.