News

SAVE OUR FIREFIGHTERS — CALAVERAS COUNTY

Budget Cuts Threaten Emergency Response County‑Wide

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Calaveras County’s draft budget makes deep cuts to all nine fire districts — reducing their share of Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel/lodging tax) revenue and redirecting other public‑safety funds away from fire services.

These cuts were proposed after districts approved their budgets and without consulting them.

Calaveras is one of the highest wildfire‑risk counties in California, and fire districts respond to far more than fires — 60–80% of calls are medical emergencies (heart attacks, strokes, vehicle accidents). For most residents, the fire district is the ambulance.

WHY IT MATTERS⚠️

Fire staffing makes up half of the ISO rating insurers use to set property premiums. Cuts can raise home and auto insurance costs county‑wide.
The final budget vote is in September — there is still time to change it, but only if residents speak up now.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1️. Contact Supervisor 📬Amanda Folendorf, email information on Calaveras County, Board of Supervisors site >> Supervisors

Tell them fire funding must be restored. (Example letter available)

2. Attend a Board Meeting 🕘

9:00 a.m. — August 11 & August 25 📍 891 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas Public comment welcome — showing up matters. Can’t attend? Join via Zoom (link posted in the agenda the day before): youtube.com/@CalaverasCountyClerk/streams

3. Post Flyers Around Town
Use these “Save Our Firefighters” posters

Place them at feed stores, coffee shops, community boards, churches. Each flyer includes a QR code linking residents to their supervisor.

4. Spread the Word
Share this message and the flyers with neighbors, friends, and anyone who lives or owns property in Calaveras.

QUESTIONS FOR THE BOARD❓

Why is fire the only public‑safety service being cut?
What analysis was done on the impact to insurance costs?
Why cut the service residents are most likely to need — medical emergency response — in a high‑wildfire‑risk county?

BOTTOM LINE🔻

Restore full fire‑district funding before the September budget vote.

February 2026

How do I get my Firewise discount on fire insurance? Why is my discount only $50?

Now that our community is a Firewise-recognized community, many residents are asking 'How do I get my Firewise Discount?' Or, 'Why is the discount so small?'

Well, technically, there isn't a 'Firewise Discount'. Your insurer might give you a discount for being in a Firewise-recognized community. But they might not. There are many reasons, including but not limited to the following: Our community is a newly-recognized Firewise community and it takes at least 6-12 months for the APNs to be entered into databases that help insurers verify a property is within a Firewise-recognized community; Your property might already be receiving a discount that is similar to Firewise; Your insurer might not have a process or the time to manually process a discount; Your insurance provider doesn't offer such a discount; Some insurers are using the public Firewise USA website to confirm recognition even though this is not advised by Firewise; Non-local agents have never heard of Copper Valley or Copperopolis.

Please remember, the Copper Valley Firewise team is made up of a very small group of volunteers whose goal is to help the community become more resistant to wildfire through education and community effort. We appreciate your feedback by letting us know about issues with obtaining a discount so that we can try to address widespread issues. Please reach out to your agent for assistance specific to your policy. Please visit our website for more information: https://sites.google.com/view/firewisecoppervalley/frequently-asked-questions

January 2026

Happy New Year from your community Firewise team!

Now is a great time to make sure you've signed up for Calaveras County Emergency Alerts https://fireprevention.calaverasgov.us/Emergency-Alerts

While it's not top of mind in the middle of the winter, it's always easier to make fire preparedness a year round activity so that you're not in a rush as wildfire season approaches. Cal Fire has great suggestions for preparing for wildfire, by season: https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/seasonal-actions/

Interested in ways to make your home and yard more fire resistant? https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/

Planning new landscaping projects? Check here for ways to make your yard more fire resistant (BE SURE TO SHARE WITH YOUR LANDSCAPER): https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/fire-smart-landscaping/

Google Sites

Report abuse