Aug. 13th: WILDFIRE MITIGATION & RESILIENCY SYMPOSIUM

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

8am-4pm, The Hotel Californian

36 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA

Join the California Fire Foundation, in partnership with UC Santa Barbara and Southern California Edison, as we explore the current cycle of California wildfire mitigation, response, and relief efforts, with an added focus on Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in the wake of the 2017-2018 Thomas and Woolsey wildfires.

Actionable recommendations for the future will also be presented as part of a Wildfire Needs Assessment Research Brief, commissioned by the Foundation in coordination with UCSB. The brief will be publicly unveiled at the Symposium and include policy recommendations and related multi-year funding opportunities for attendees.

Registration is FREE. Breakfast, Lunch + Snacks provided. A discounted room rate has been established with limited availability at the Hotel Californian for attendees.

Download the Wildfire Needs Assessment Brief - April 2024 Here

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Amazing speakers, hands on education, and so much more! Here's a look at what you can expect:

Panels

How We Got Here: Insights into major California wildfire events, in particular the Thomas and Woolsey fires.
Current Landscape: Wildfire preparedness, mitigation, recovery, and resiliency efforts, both locally and statewide.
Path Forward: Recommendations, future investments, and funding opportunities.

SPEAKERS + PANELISTS (Partial List)

Panel Moderator: Carroll Wills, Senior Communications Advisor, California Professional Firefighters (ret.)

Joe Tyler

Director, CAL FIRE

Brian K. Rice

Chair, California Fire Foundation President, California Professional Firefighters

Daniel Berlant

Fire Marshal, State of California

Rick Martinez

Executive Director, California Fire Foundation

Sarah Anderson

Professor; Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Environmental Politics, UC Santa Barbara

Robyn Fennig

Assistant Director, Hazard Mitigation, Governor's Office of Emergency Services

Marion Whittmann, Ph.D

Wildfire Resilience Initiative Program Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Raymond Fugere

Director of Wildfire Safety, Southern California Edison

Stephen Watson

Executive Director, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council

Anne-Marie Parkinson

Executive Director, Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council

Kevin Aguayo

President, Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association

Seren Taylor

Vice President, Personal Insurance Federation of California

Mark vonTillow

Fire Inspector + Wildland Fire Specialist, City of Santa Barbara

Brianna Baker

Author, Social Inequity and Wildfire Response: Identifying Gaps and Interventions in Ventura County

Rob Obedoza

Community Relations & Outreach, California Department of Insurance

Fred Tan

Fire Marshal, Santa Barbara County Fire Department