The days immediately following a wildfire evacuation, or a disaster are highly uncertain, stressful, and anxious. Children are particularly vulnerable during a disaster and that’s where Project:Camp steps in. Project:Camp helps parents and care givers find normalcy for their family by providing day camps for their kids that are fun, immersive, and safe.  

During the Caldor Fire in 2021, the California Fire Foundation (CFF) supported their on-the-ground efforts and enabled Project:Camp to run a camp in Reno, NV, where many Californians were temporarily located during the evacuations across El Dorado County. And, in 2022, CFF’s support enabled Project:Camp to conduct a pop-up camp in partnership with Weed Elementary that served 200 kids each day who were impacted by the Mill and Mountain Fires, which was bigger than all of their camps in 2021—combined! 

First responders operate in trauma-based professions where emotional injury is a common side effect of work-related situations and events. 911 At Ease provides first responders, and their family members, access to free, professional, confidential, local, trauma-informed counseling and therapy. In addition to counseling, 911 At Ease also provides substance abuse group meetings, support group meetings, equine therapy, canine therapy, and critical incident response support to fire departments and agencies during their time of need.  

With California Fire Foundation’s funding partnership, 911 At Ease served over 1,000 first responders and their immediate family members across the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties in 2021. Their important, mission-focused work translated into a number of success stories, including saved lives (prevented suicides), saved marriages, and first responder resiliency. 

EmergencyRV is a 100% volunteer-based nonprofit providing emergency and transitional RV housing to survivors of wildfire and other disasters. With California Fire Foundation’s support, EmergencyRV has provided housing to dozens of families in recent years—most of whom are firefighters and other first responders displaced by the Mill, Caldor, Dixie, Creek, North Complex, SCU Lightening Complex and Slater-Devil Fires, to name a few.  

Woody Faircloth, the Founder of EmergencyRV, personally drives for hours with his young daughter to deliver RVs to those in need. “We couldn’t have helped the firefighters, first responders and families we helped without the support of the California Fire Foundation. The generous grant from the California Fire Foundation helps fund our mission and we are delighted to be able to provide firefighters and families with a safe place to call home while they get back on their feet. It is an amazing feeling to be able to give them hope,” said Woody Faircloth, Founder of EmergencyRV. 

You HERD it here first—California Fire Foundation awarded funding to LA Family Housing (LAFH) to lease the cutest wildfire prevention crew around! Their team of goats cleared dead brush and potential fire hazards off the hillside next to The Arroyo, an 84-bed bridge housing development serving homeless women located in a fire threat area. 

“Bringing goats on-site to The Arroyo is a sustainable and cost-effective way to ensure that this site is safe from fire hazards. Beyond that, it’s a great way to bring positive attention to the work we do at The Arroyo! We are thankful to California Fire Foundation for supporting our use of this environmentally friendly (and cute!) way to keep our participants safe,” said Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, President & CEO of LA Family Housing.