Nevada Fire Safe Council

What Nevada Fire Safe Council does

The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County (operating as Nevada Fire Safe Council) is a Nevada City, California-based nonprofit organization founded in 1998 that delivers wildfire preparedness and risk reduction services across Nevada County. Its core offerings include Defensible Space Advisory Visits (one-on-one property consultations), the Firewise USA Regional Coordinator program for community-level wildfire risk reduction, the FEMA/Cal OES-funded Home Hardening Retrofit Program (a 90/10 cost-sharing reimbursement scheme targeting 150 homes with ember-intrusion retrofits), and landscape-level fuel reduction projects such as the Deer Creek Canyon Shaded Fuel Break covering over 1,600 acres of Phase One planning. Supporting programs include a Chipping Program, a Scotch Broom Weed Wrench Loan Program, Reflective Address Signs, the Access & Functional Needs (AFN) program for low-income seniors and disabled residents, and emergency preparedness resources (Zone Haven evacuation zone lookup, Nevada County Alerts registration).

The organization operates with a single paid administrative staff member (Shannon Banks) and is governed by an entirely volunteer Board of Directors comprising local residents, fire district representatives, and agency partners from BLM, CAL FIRE, and the US Forest Service. Its distribution model is community-led and event-driven, reaching property owners through 11 partner local fire districts, volunteer Defensible Space Advisors, educational outreach (podcast, newsletter, website), and on-site service delivery. There are no technology products, AI/ML capabilities, or proprietary software components; the offering is fundamentally a service-oriented nonprofit dependent on volunteer labor and grant cycles.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: tax-deductible public donations (suggested tiers of $25, $50, $75, $100 or custom, plus a suggested $25 per advisory visit) and government grants channeled primarily through FEMA via the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. Several programs are presently listed as 'temporarily unfunded,' underscoring reliance on episodic grant funding rather than a stable recurring revenue base. Customer concentration is geographically narrow (Nevada County only) and financially narrow (one dominant federal funding channel), which constrains scale but also aligns mission tightly with regional wildfire outcomes.

Name

Nevada Fire Safe Council

Legal name

Fire Safe Council of Nevada County

Website

https://www.areyoufiresafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County is a 1998-founded nonprofit providing wildfire preparedness education, defensible space advisory visits, the FEMA-funded Home Hardening Retrofit Program, Firewise USA community coordination, and large-scale fuel reduction projects to residential property owners across Nevada County, California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildfire Prevention Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Fire Protection (92216), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

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), Forest Fire Management & Fuels Reduction Services (IMAMAAAH), Firebreak & Defensible Space Construction (AFAMAEAF), Fire Prevention, Inspection & Code Enforcement (Life Safety) (BPAIAGAL)

Keywords

• Wildfire prevention services
• Defensible space advisory
• Home hardening retrofits
• Community fire safety
• Fuel reduction projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Nevada City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Accepts tax-deductible donations from the public at amounts including $25, $50, $75, $100 and other custom amounts. Donations can be made via PayPal, credit/debit card, or mail. Suggested donation of at least $25 per Defensible Space Advisory Visit.
2. Government Grants: Home Hardening Retrofit Program funded by FEMA through California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). 90/10 cost-sharing reimbursement model where FEMA covers 90% of approved retrofit costs and homeowners pay 10%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County is a nonprofit organization that delivers community-based wildfire prevention services to property owners in Nevada County, California. Core offerings include one-on-one Defensible Space Advisory Visits, coordination of Firewise USA communities, FEMA-funded Home Hardening Retrofit reimbursements (90/10 cost-share), vegetation management programs (chipping, green waste disposal, Scotch broom weed wrench loans), and landscape-scale shaded fuel break projects such as the 1,600-acre Deer Creek Canyon initiative.

Product overview

Fire Safe Council of Nevada County operates as a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of wildfire prevention programs and services. The core offerings include Defensible Space Advisory Visits (DSAV), Firewise Communities coordination, vegetation management programs (chipping, green waste disposal, weed wrench loans), and the Home Hardening Retrofit Program funded by FEMA/Cal OES. The organization also manages the Deer Creek Canyon Shaded Fuel Break Project spanning over 1,600 acres. Supporting these programs are educational resources including evacuation zone information (Know Your Zone), emergency alerts (Nevada County Alerts), and the Insight podcast. The portfolio is completed by practical tools like Reflective Address Signs and the Access & Functional Needs program for vulnerable populations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Defensible Space Advisory Visit (DSAV) One-on-one, on-site consultation at a homeowner's property providing knowledgeable advice on actions to reduce the threat of losing the home in a wildfire. A suggested donation of at least $25 per visit supports the program.
• Firewise Communities in Nevada County (Firewise USA®) Regional coordination of the Firewise USA® Program in Nevada County, providing resources to help homeowners adapt to living with wildfire and encouraging neighborhoods to take collective action to reduce wildfire risks; downloadable forms support Firewise Community certification.
• Home Hardening Retrofit Program FEMA-funded program administered through Cal OES that helps residents upgrade homes with fire-resistant, code-compliant products for ember-intrusion protection. Operates as a 90/10 cost-sharing reimbursement (FEMA covers 90%, homeowner covers 10%). Program goal of retrofitting 150 existing homes has been met.
• Defensible Space Clearing Service (DSCS) Vegetation clearing service that removes highly flammable vegetation, tall grasses, heavy brush, and hazardous tree branches within 100 feet of a home to create defensible space.
• Access & Functional Needs (AFN) Program Assistance program that helps low-income senior residents or those with medical disabilities qualify for defensible space clearing services.
• Deer Creek Canyon Shaded Fuel Break Project Landscape-level wildfire risk reduction initiative that strategically thins vegetation across more than 1,600 acres in Phase One (planning and environmental compliance targeted for completion by September 2025) to slow wildfire spread and create safer space for evacuation and fire suppression.
• Chipping Program Free chipping service for brush cleared for defensible space around any permanent structure, including vegetation removed during home hardening and evacuation route clearance; grant-funded.
• Scotch Broom Weed Wrench Loan Program Loan program that lets volunteers borrow weed wrenches to physically remove highly flammable, invasive Scotch broom plants from properties, individually or as a neighborhood team.
• Reflective Address Signs Reflective safety address signs created by the Council so that public safety personnel can locate addresses in emergency situations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 homes to be retrofitted with code-compliant ember-intrusion protection products
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and regional.

• Grass Valley Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal fire district partner within Nevada County Fire Districts network, collaborating on wildfire prevention and community safety initiatives.
• Higgins Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal fire protection district partner serving the community wildfire prevention network.
• Nevada City Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal fire department partner in the Nevada County Fire Districts network.
• Nevada County Consolidated Fire DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsolidated fire district partner within the county fire prevention network.
• North San Juan Fire DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire district partner serving North San Juan area of Nevada County.
• Ophir Hill Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire protection district partner in the county wildfire prevention network.
• Peardale-Chicago Park Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire department partner serving Peardale-Chicago Park area.
• Penn Valley Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire protection district partner in the county network.
• Rough & Ready Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire department partner serving Rough & Ready area.
• Truckee Fire Protection DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire protection district partner serving Truckee area of Nevada County.
• Washington Fire and RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFire and rescue partner serving Washington area of Nevada County.
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal land management agency partner providing agency representation on the Board of Directors (Jason Schroeder) and collaborative wildfire management.
• CAL FIREmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire Protection agency partner with representation on the Board (Landon Haack) and collaborative fire prevention programs.
• US Forest ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal forest management agency partner represented on the Board (Rita Clipperton) and contributing to fire management and forest health initiatives.
• California Fire Safe CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide Fire Safe Council organization supporting local fire prevention efforts.
• Tahoe National ForestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Forest partner for fire management and forest health initiatives.
• Nevada County Office of Emergency ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty emergency services agency partner for coordinated emergency preparedness.
• Northern Sierra Air Quality Management DistrictregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerAir quality management district partner providing burn day information and air quality resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CAL FIRE: California state fire agency that funds, coordinates, and provides board representation for county Fire Safe Councils. Overlaps substantially in wildfire prevention and fuels reduction but operates as a government agency with enforcement authority.
• Firewise USA (National Fire Protection Association): National program under the NFPA that provides the Firewise USA framework which the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County coordinates regionally. Operates one level upstream as the standards/certification body and is the parent program for the council's primary certification offering.
• California Fire Safe Council: Statewide umbrella organization that supports and coordinates local Fire Safe Councils across California, including the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County. Highly comparable in mission (wildfire prevention, defensible space, fuel reduction) but operates at state scale rather than at the single-county level.

Others

• Sierra Nevada Conservancy: California state conservancy that funds forest health, fire resilience, and watershed protection projects in the Sierra Nevada, including those executed by the Fire Safe Council. Engages the same funding pools and partner agencies.
• The Sierra Fund: Regional nonprofit focused on Sierra Nevada forest health, mine remediation, and wildfire resilience. Operates as an adjacent mission-aligned nonprofit and potential grantee/partner in wildfire prevention work.

Direct peers

• Resource Conservation District of Nevada County: Local special district performing related natural resource and watershed work in Nevada County, frequently partnering with the Fire Safe Council on vegetation management and fuel reduction projects. Comparable as a local non-regulatory conservation delivery vehicle.
• Fire Safe Council of Placer County: Neighboring county Fire Safe Council serving the Sierra Nevada region with overlapping fuels reduction, home hardening, and Firewise USA programs. Direct peer in mission, service mix, and stakeholder composition.
• Fire Safe Council of El Dorado County: Sister Fire Safe Council operating in an adjacent Sierra Nevada county with similar programs (defensible space, home hardening, fuel reduction, Firewise USA coordination). Most directly comparable organization in terms of geography, programs, and nonprofit structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fire-safe-council-of-nevada-county-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

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 Nevada Fire Safe Council