OM DENNE EPISODE
Former U.S. Forest Service Crisis Communication Director Christie Wiley explains how she is solving the "capacity gap" in Texas wildfire protection. Despite Kendall County being one of the fastest-growing in the nation—with 94% of development in high-risk zones—it lacked a formal protection plan until Christie stepped in. Now, through the Hill Country Fire Coalition, she is moving beyond paperwork to execute a 4-pronged strategy involving education, risk assessments, roadside mitigation, and insurance incentives.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
The Implementation Gap: Why many communities have a plan (CWPP) on the shelf but no boots on the ground to execute it.
The 4-Pronged Strategy: A breakdown of Outreach, Risk Assessments, Roadside Hardening, and Insurance Incentives.
The Sim Table Advantage: Using technology to show residents exactly how fire moves through box canyons and up ridges.
Building a Dream Team: How Christie used the Incident Command System (ICS) to structure her nonprofit with retired fire chiefs and management officers.
The "Bridge the Gap" Grant Program: A unique local solution for communities screened out of federal grants due to high average median income (AMI).
One Way In, One Way Out: The life-safety reality of narrow Hill Country roads and the importance of expanding 30-foot rights-of-way to 50-foot defensible buffers.
The Insurance Carrot: Moving the needle with state regulators to reward homeowners for verified mitigation work.
