What Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority does

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) is a public Joint Powers Authority established under California law to serve as the single coordinating agency for county-wide wildfire prevention across Marin County. Created following passage of Measure C, MWPA unites 17+ member agencies — including Marin County Fire Department, Ross Valley Fire Department, Central Marin Fire Department, Southern Marin Fire Protection District, Novato Fire Protection District, Kentfield Fire Protection District, and multiple municipal jurisdictions — organized into five operational zones (San Rafael, Southern Marin, Central Marin, Novato, West Marin). Its mandate spans vegetation management (shaded fuel breaks, prescribed herbivory, roadside clearing), evacuation infrastructure (fire cameras, LRAD notification, evacuation route maintenance, Zonehaven mapping), residential grants (up to $2,500 per parcel for home hardening and defensible space), education and outreach (Fire Safe Marin, Neighborhood Response Groups, UC Cooperative Extension), and fire-resistant home programs (defensible space evaluations, Chipper Days).

MWPA's core technology footprint is operational rather than software-native: it includes a parcel-level Wildfire Risk Report / Defensible Space Report portal at defensiblespacereport.org/marin, a JPA member portal, ArcGIS-hosted vegetation management and home hardening progress dashboards, Zonehaven evacuation zone subscriptions, LRAD emergency notification hardware, and Fire Aside defensible space evaluation software. The Greater Ross Valley Shaded Fuel Break Project implements 38 miles of shaded fuel break across roughly 1,800 acres and ~2,000 parcels, while the West and Southern Marin Coastal Evacuation Routes Project has scaled from 24.7 to 95+ miles of evacuation routes plus 6 miles of fire roads, serving approximately 16,000 habitable structures in wildland-urban interface areas.

MWPA's business model is non-commercial and publicly funded. Revenue is sourced primarily from the voter-approved Measure C special tax, supplemented by CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant Program awards and partner agency cost-sharing arrangements; no commercial pricing applies and all resident-facing services (Chipper Days, defensible space inspections, home hardening grants, LRAD coverage) are delivered free of charge. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with member-agency representation and operates through annual Work Plans, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or equity ownership.

Name

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority

Legal name

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority

Website

https://marinwildfire.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority is a California Joint Powers Authority that coordinates county-wide wildfire prevention across 17+ member agencies in Marin County, delivering vegetation management, evacuation route clearing, LRAD emergency notification, resident grants, and home hardening programs funded primarily by Measure C and state grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildfire Prevention and Emergency Management Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Fire Protection (92216), Support Activities for Forestry (115310)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildfire Risk Assessment, Prevention & Suppression Services (IMAMAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Forest Health & Fire Management Planning (AFAMAEAK), Firebreak & Defensible Space Construction (AFAMAEAF), Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

Keywords

• Wildfire prevention services
• Vegetation management
• Defensible space programs
• Evacuation route planning
• Home hardening grants

Headquarters

HQ city

San Rafael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Tax Revenue (Measure C): Primary funding through Marin County Measure C, a special tax supporting wildfire prevention activities across the JPA jurisdiction
2. State and Federal Grants: Grant funding from CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant Program and other state/federal sources for specific projects
3. Partner Agency Contributions: Cost-sharing arrangements with member agencies including Central Marin Fire Department, Southern Marin Fire District, Marin County Fire Department, and others for collaborative projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority coordinates and delivers county-wide wildfire prevention programs in Marin County, California through five core areas: vegetation management (shaded fuel breaks, prescribed herbivory, roadside clearing), detection and evacuation improvements (LRAD networks, evacuation route clearing, zone-based mapping), grant programs (up to $2,500 per parcel for home hardening), education and outreach (Fire Safe Marin partnerships, community preparedness), and fire-resistant homes (defensible space evaluations, Chipper Days). Services are provided free of charge to Marin County residents through public funding.

Product overview

Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) is a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that functions as a county-wide wildfire prevention and emergency preparedness agency for Marin County, California. MWPA is not a technology product company; it is a government public-safety organization that coordinates and funds wildfire mitigation programs across multiple member fire agencies. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs organized into five goal areas: Vegetation Management (fuel breaks, prescribed herbivory, roadside clearing), Improve Detection & Evacuations (fire cameras, LRAD systems, evacuation routes, zone mapping), Grant Programs (home hardening grants, direct residence assistance, resident grants up to $2,500/parcel), Education & Outreach (Fire Safe Marin partnerships, community outreach, preparedness coordinator), and Fire Resistant Homes (defensible space inspections, chipper days, home hardening workforce development). These programs are supported by operational tools including the JPA Portal (webportal.marinwildfire.org), the Defensible Space Report portal (defensiblespacereport.org/marin) for property evaluations and grant applications, and ArcGIS-based progress dashboards. MWPA serves residents through all five geographic zones (San Rafael, Southern Marin, Central Marin, Novato, West Marin) and is funded by Measure C tax revenues and state grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vegetation Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 miles of shaded fuel breaks implemented through Greater Ross Valley project covering ~2,000 parcels
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fire Safe MarincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary community partner for fire-adapted living education and preparedness programs. Fire Safe Marin operates Chipper Days scheduling, provides home hardening guidance, and delivers community outreach on wildfire risk reduction.
• UC Cooperative ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific collaboration on vegetation treatment methods, prescribed grazing research, and ecological considerations for wildfire prevention programs.
• Marin County Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary fire agency partner for vegetation management projects including West Marin evacuation routes and Greater Ross Valley Shaded Fuel Break Project.
• Ross Valley Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Greater Ross Valley Shaded Fuel Break Project (38-mile shaded fuel break) covering approximately 1,800 acres.
• Central Marin Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead agency for Central Marin Zone including evacuation route core project serving ~16,000 structures in WUI areas.
• Southern Marin Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementation partner for LRAD emergency notification network, Sausalito Forest Health Project, and Southern Marin vegetation management.
• Novato Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead agency for Novato Zone projects including roadside evacuation routes, Bahia HOA defensible space, and goat grazing evacuation project.
• Kentfield Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Greater Ross Valley Shaded Fuel Break Project covering Kentfield areas.
• Marin County Open Space DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Mill Valley Shaded Fuel Break Project and open space vegetation management.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination on Muir Beach Highway 1 Evacuation Corridor project on federal NPS lands adjacent to Muir Beach communities.
• California State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Ridgecrest Fuel Reduction Project on California State Park lands adjacent to Throckmorton Ridge community.
• Marin CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember jurisdiction providing Measure C tax revenue and coordination for county-wide wildfire prevention programs.
• City of San RafaelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead agency for San Rafael Zone education and outreach programs, direct residence assistance, and evacuation route projects.
• City of NovatocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember jurisdiction for Novato Zone vegetation management and evacuation route projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network: National network supporting community wildfire adaptation initiatives. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem convener helping MWPA's peer agencies nationwide — and MWPA itself via Fire Safe Marin — share practices for fire-adapted community programs.
• Headwaters Economics: Independent research organization producing analyses on wildfire risk, mitigation cost-effectiveness, and community resilience. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player whose research informs and supports the kind of parcel-level risk modeling and grant targeting MWPA employs.
• UC Cooperative Extension: University of California research and extension arm, collaborating with MWPA on vegetation treatment research and prescribed grazing studies. Comparable as a scientific/technical ecosystem partner supporting the evidence base for MWPA's vegetation management methods.

Broad incumbents

• Fire Safe Council of California: Statewide nonprofit advocating for wildfire safety and coordinating Fire Safe Councils across California counties. Comparable as a coordination and advocacy layer for community wildfire preparedness, complementing local JPAs like MWPA.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): National standards-setting body for fire prevention and defensible space guidance (e.g., NFPA 1140/1144). Comparable as the upstream standards and best-practice authority whose frameworks underpin MWPA's home hardening and defensible space programs.
• CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection): California's state-level fire agency, providing direct wildfire suppression and prevention support across all California counties. Comparable as the upstream funder of MWPA's grant programs (e.g., CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant Program) and the broader state actor operating adjacent wildfire programs.

Direct peers

• Fire Safe Marin: MWPA's primary community partner for fire-adapted living education, defensible space guidance, and Chipper Days scheduling. Operates in the same geography with overlapping mission on community wildfire preparedness and resident-facing programs.
• Sonoma County Fire District / Sonoma County Wildfire: Sonoma County's primary wildfire protection and response agency. Highly comparable to MWPA: same California context, same WUI risk profile, same combination of vegetation management, evacuation planning, and community grant programs serving a similar high-fire-risk county.
• Napa County Fire Department: Napa County's primary wildfire response and prevention agency in a similarly high-risk Wine Country / WUI environment. Comparable mission and operating context: county-level coordination of vegetation management, evacuation, and defensible space programs in fire-prone Northern California.

Regional players

• Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District: Regional fire protection district serving the Truckee Meadows area in Nevada, also addressing WUI wildfire risk. Comparable as a local-government entity combining fire suppression, vegetation management, and defensible space outreach in a fire-prone environment, though in a different state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marinwildfire
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarinWildfire
• Instagraminstagram.com/marinwildfire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marin-wildfire-prevention-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority