In this episode, we are joined by Steve Hawks, who has dedicated over three decades to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Steve’s impressive career began as a firefighter and eventually led him to serve as the Assistant Deputy Director of CAL FIRE’s Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation and Fire Engineering and Investigations Divisions. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Resource Management from Humboldt State University and has served on various CAL FIRE Incident Management Teams for 13 years. After retiring in December 2022, Steve returned to the CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division and has also taken on the role of Director of Wildfire Policy for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) team.
During our conversation, Steve shares his insights on community wildfire preparedness and mitigation strategies, including defensible space home hardening, fuel reduction projects, grant funding, and other programs implemented by CAL FIRE’s Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division. He also provides a detailed analysis of the impacts of Assembly Bill 38 on homeowners living in high fire hazard zones, which mandates defensible space compliance inspections and proof of passing. Join us as we dive deep into the world of wildfire preparedness and mitigation with Steve Hawks.
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Thank you for joining us on the journey of fighting wildfires. We understand that we are in a constant battle with mother nature and things seem hopeless when we have to evacuate, leave our homes and not know what we will come back to.
On our podcast, we bring experts to educate homeowners, communities, and businesses on what they can do against wildfires. Our team consists of wildfire prevention specialists, retired fire captains, and fire marshals.
If you’re trying to get educated, find a solution to the wildfires, and do everything you can for your property then you have arrived at the right place!
