Forest Futures
74+
Projects
98
Jobs Created
210
Workforce Members Supported
Building a Year-Round Wildfire Workforce
North Tahoe Fire and its funding partners, including TTCF’s Forest Futures Initiative, have found a more sustainable way to keep our community ready for wildfire year-round. Rather than relying on seasonal staffing alone, North Tahoe Fire has invested in a full-time specialist to carry out and improve its growing Fire Adapted Communities Program. That team member is Michael Haran, a Community Specialist with deep local roots and a knack for building trust with homeowners. Since the shift, defensible space inspections have more than quadrupled, and Firewise-recognized communities in the district have grown from 13 to 42.
According to April Shackelford, the District’s Manager, the partnership works because everyone involved stays flexible. TTCF funded practical, everyday pieces that make a full-time role possible and adjusted course when needed, while North Tahoe Fire gave Michael real responsibility and room to grow. Together, they’re helping shift an entire way of thinking about wildfire readiness—from a seasonal task to a year-round system—a model other districts across the region can look to next.
Preparing for the 2026 Wildfire Season: Everything You Need to Know
Being prepared for wildfire season starts with knowledge, planning, and looking out for one another. This May, TTCF partnered with the Tahoe Truckee Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) and United Policyholders to host our annual wildfire preparedness virtual Lunch + Learn. The session covered the basics every household in our area needs: signing up for emergency alerts, building an evacuation plan and go-bag, understanding the difference between an evacuation warning and an evacuation order, checking in on neighbors who may need extra help, and tapping into home-hardening and defensible-space resources.
Three Things to Do This Week
- Sign up for emergency alerts in every county where you have an address on file (home, work, school, family). Most systems let you register more than one address.
- Make a plan with your household before a fire starts—map your evacuation routes, pack a go-bag, think through what each family member needs, and practice your plan!
- Get to know your neighbors, especially anyone who might need extra time or help evacuating.
Our jobs are protecting this district through educating homeowners about making the right choices with defensible space, home hardening, and evacuation preparedness—that does give me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
April Schackleford
Fire Fuels Manager, North Tahoe Fire Distric
To learn more about our community impact and how you can partner with us to make a difference, contact TTCF Donor Services at donorservices@ttcf.net.