EL DORADO COUNTY FIRE SAFE COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairperson     Vice Chairperson Tom Mahach Pollock Pines, CA Secretary Walter Tyler Grizzly Flats, CA Treasurer Richard Englefield El Dorado, CA Director Lori Tuthill Cameron Park, CA Coordinator Vicki Yorty Pollock Pines, CA Chipper Program Coordinator Jana Newman Pollock Pines, CA Board Member Joan Jennings Garden Valley, CA Board Member Janet Gastaldi Quintette, CA Board Member Ray Griffiths Georgetown, CA       What is the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council? We are a California non-profit, Public Benefit Corporation recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. As stated in our Bylaws, our mission is "to protect the people of El Dorado County and their property from the effects of catastrophic wildfire through education, cooperation, innovation, and action." The council was organized in September 2001 and currently has over 150 individuals from the public and private sectors on our Council Communication Network who are committed to making El Dorado County more fire safe. Education and community outreach is a top priority: making the residents of the County aware of the risks of living within a Wildland Urban Interface and what they can do to protect their home and property from wildfire. Creating defensible space is their responsibility. Over the past Decades people have moved into the forest and wildland environment because of the natural resources and rural atmosphere. It is a beautiful place to live. However, many people build homes in this environment with little or no knowledge of what it means to live with the threat of catastrophic wildfires. Our goal is to make residents aware of their responsibilities for their property and to their community. We are all in this together because wildfire recognizes no property lines or boundaries. Nationally, over the past four years, millions of acres of forest and private land, thousands of homes, and many lives have been lost due to catastrophic wildfires. When you live in the Wildland Urban Interface, wildfires are a fact of life: it is not IF, but WHEN, you will be involved in a wildfire.