INTRODUCTION

The El Dorado County Fire Safe Council (EDCFSC) has received a grant for seventeen thousand one hundred and fifty dollars ($17,150) in funding from the United States Forest Service under the State and Private Forest, Economic Recovery Program. The breakdown of this funding is $13,000 for Contracted Services, $1,580 for surveys and supplies, $720 for travel and $1,850 for mailing. Additionally there is a commitment of non-federal match to these funds of ten thousand four hundred ( $10,400) for EDCFSC staff support, GIS assistance, public education materials and community in-kind matches. These funds will be used to develop a Community Action Plan for the Sly Park Corridor, an area of approximately 60 square miles, generally considered the greater Pollock Pines community region. A map of the area can be downloaded from the EDCFSC website at www.edcfiresafe.org under "Map Library select Pollock Pines/Camino. Most all of the areas included are in Very High Fire Hazard areas as determined by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and Pollock Pines is identified as a Community At Risk on the Federal Register dated August 2001. This is also the approximate sphere of influence of El Dorado County Fire Protection District Station #17 located in central Pollock Pines. The plan will identify landowners that are adjacent to public land, provide wildfire safety public education to residents at community meetings, develop a proposed emergency evacuation plan for the corridor and develop a biomass utilization plan. Other outcomes of this project, in addition to the plan itself, will be providing the property owners and residents in each small area with the information to define and prioritize their community-specific needs and the best way to maximize available resources through both public and private collaboration. This will include working with all public agency and private stakeholders throughout this process with a goal of establishing a Pollock Pines Fire Safe Council that can address local fire safe issues and advocate these to the county Fire Safe Council as input to their strategic planning and project prioritization.

BACKGROUND

There is currently no formal infrastructure or local government in this diverse community region, simply people that have chosen to live together in the same location. Many residents have moved to this area because of its beauty, natural resources, recreation opportunities and rural atmosphere but are unaware of the realities of living in the wildland urban interface and must be educated on their responsibilities for their homes, neighbors and community. Additionally, the Sly Park Recreation Area and the Eldorado National Forest are popular tourist attractions and the local businesses rely heavily on these "fire safe uneducated visitors" for their economic livlihood. During vacation season, the population of this area increases by thousands of people. In a catastrophic wildland fire event, thousands of people could face evacuation along the Sly Park Corridor not unlike what was experienced in the October/November 2003 fires in Southern California. The focus of this grant will be to bring together residents, businesses, public and private stakeholders to begin this planning process and educate everyone on ways to make this area more fire safe and better prepared to face a wildland fire disaster situation. As is so often repeated in the Sierra Nevadas "It is not if, but when we will face wildland fire."

Pollock Pines has a rich history in the development of California. It was a major pre-historic and historic trans-Sierra transportation corridor. This area also encompasses multiple river watersheds and is a major consumptive water source for El Dorado County. It was a Pony Express station and a stop for the overland wagons between Sacramento and the Tahoe Basin during the silver mining era in Nevada. There are two federal historic monuments to these historic milestones located at Sportman's Hall in eastern Pollock Pines. This area is truly a historic treasure as well as an end destination for tourists from all over the world.

The Sly Park Corridor has been recognized as a top priority in the past two years' Strategic Planning meetings of the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council (EDCFSC). Additionally, the Sly Park Corridor has been included as a top priority in the El Dorado County Wildfire Protection Plan that was approved by EDCFSC Board of Directors on November 10, 2004 and has been incorporated into the County's Multi-hazard Disaster Mitigation Plan being developed by the Office of Emergency Services.

PROPOSAL

The goal of this Request For Proposal is to hire a Contractor(s) to work with the residents in the Sly Park Corridor and interface with local, state and federal fire agencies in the development of a Community Action Plan. The Contractor will perform community outreach to the residents of the Sly Park Corridor and participate in meetings with community residents to obtain input for the development of this plan. This input should include, but not be limited to, developing an initial assessment of residential areas that are at the highest risk for wildland fires, determine the priorities of the residents, what are their concerns particularly as pertaining to wildfire safety, and what would be their recommendations for elements to include in the plan.

This project will bring together all stakeholders in the Sly Park Corridor-residents, businesses, public fire protection agencies such as USFS, CDF, and local districts, commercial interests, and local county government agencies. The Contractor will work with various public agencies and residents to identify parcels that are adjacent to public land.

The Contractor will solicit participation of residents on a local action team that will be representative of various neighborhoods and interests in the community. This team will assist the in the development of their community action plan and help to determine measures to assess community progress in achieving objectives identified in the plan. This local action team could also be the "seed group" for the formation of the local community Fire Safe Council.

Part of the Community Action Plan should include identifying: (1) fuel reduction projects that would deliver products to market; (2) treated areas that could serve as demonstration projects; (3) evacuation routes and potential public assembly places for residents; and (4) possible technology transfer, market assessments and feasibility studies relating to biomass utilization.

The Contractor will be hired as a subcontractor to the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council. Limited grant funds are available for postage, supplies and mileage. Matching funds for this grant include the assistance of the EDCFSC Executive Coordinator and other staff to help coordinate the community meetings, mapping resources, and public education materials.

RESPONSIBILITIES / SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor for the Sly Park Corridor Community Action Plan will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Identify landowners that are adjacent to public land and advise all residents on defensible space requirements for their property through public and neighborhood-based meetings;

2. Use successful projects or homes that have cleared defensible space as demonstration areas for educating residents;

3. Develop and coordinate public input to be included in the draft Community Action Plan;

4. Work with US Forest Service (USFS), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), the El Dorado Irrigation District, Sierra Pacific Industries, the El Dorado County Fire Protection District and other stakeholders to obtain information on current projects and future plans for area;

5. Create maps with input from this data and document priorities; develop initial evacuation plan based on maps, take back for review from community and public/private partners, coordinate with EDCFSC for consistency with the County Wildfire Protection Plan;

6. Document results of public review, coordinate with public/private partners, review by EDC departments as required, submit to EDCFSC for draft concept approval;

7. Distribute to all partners for final comment, incorporate comments and prepare final maps, emergency evacuation plans, and final Community Action Plan, reproduce copies of plan and distribute to all stakeholders;

8. Conduct a public meeting to present final Community Action Plan to community residents.

9. Prepare monthly progress reports for EDCFSC meeting and assist FSC Executive Coordinator in preparation of quarterly reports to USFS; and

10. Work with the EDCFSC Executive Coordinator to identify sources of additional funding for projects that were identified and recommended in the Community Action Plan and to provide continuing funding for community coordination.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in interfacing with people from various backgrounds, building concensus, and conducting/coordinating public meetings.

• Demonstrated ablity to incorporate data from various sources and integrate into meaningful information for plan development and capability to provide a digitized plan on an CD as a final project deliverable.

• Demonstrated relevant experience and technical competence in fuels management, wildfire prevention, forest management and emergency evacuation planning.

• Demonstrated relevant experience and technical competence in working with the United States Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California Forest Practice Act and related environmental regulations.

• Demonstrated experience working in the Sierra Nevada region/Wildland Urban Interface.

• Preferred, but not required, knowledge of the Sly Park Corridor greater community area and surrounding public and private land.

• Applicant may be a California licensed Registered Professional Forester but this is not a requirement.

EVALUATION

Members of the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council Board of Directors will evaluate the proposals. If necessary, qualifying candidates may be asked to interview with a panel of FSC representatives.

AVAILABLE FUNDS

The maximum amount of funds available for the services of a Registered Professional Forester/Contracted Services in this grant is $13,000.00. The selected candidate must acknowledge and affirmatively indicate that he/she can provide the tasks outlined in the Scope of Work within this amount.

PROPOSAL FORMAT

A qualifying proposal must address the following items:

1. Name and address of the respondent to the RFP.

2. Contact person and phone number.

3. Concept paper outlining Contractor's approach to accomplishing proposed scope of work within designated time line.

4. Resumes of all staff who will work on the program and their hourly rates, if applicable.

5. Relevant experience and technical competence.

6. Proposed budget and billing rates.

7. Three references who have knowledge of the respondent's work.
    

PROJECT MILESTONES
 
 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

One original and three copies must be mailed to the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council, P.O. Box 1011, Diamond Springs, CA 95619 and postmarked no later than April 22, 2005. . Receipt of the proposal will be acknowledged via email, if available, or by fax. No proposals will be accepted after this deadline. Address any questions to the contact person listed on the first page.

NONDISCRIMINATION

The program or activities conducted under this agreement will be in compliance with the nondiscrimination provisions contained in Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-259); and other nondiscrimination statutes: namely, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the American's with Disabilities Act of 1990. They will also be in accordance with regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture (7CFR-15, Subparts A & B), which provide that no person in the United States shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, marital or family status, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any agency thereof.