Events

Marin Wildfire Forum: Countywide Collaboration Key to Maximizing Wildfire Prevention

Published

7 years ago

April 29, 2019

Free public event set for Saturday, May 4, in San Rafael

There are more than 260,000 people living in Marin County, served by 11 municipal governments and 16 fire agencies. But when it comes to wildfire, jurisdictional boundaries disappear.

“Like a flood or an earthquake, a wildfire knows no boundaries,” said Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber. “It’s imperative that we work together to prevent wildfire and to be prepared for wildfire for the good of our entire community.”

Assuring that countywide coordination will be a key topic during the Marin Wildfire Forum, scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 4, at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael.

Following the devastating fires that hit Sonoma and Napa in 2017, fire chiefs in Marin collaborated with other officials to develop the “Lessons Learned” report that created a roadmap for Marin’s own wildfire prevention and emergency preparedness efforts. The report emphasized that in addition to expanding on existing work, a coordinated countywide approach to wildfire prevention and community preparedness will be critical to meeting the local wildfire challenge.

“The fire chiefs have always been a cohesive group, but these recent fires have certainly brought us closer together,” Chief Bill Tyler, Novato Fire Protection District and current president of the Marin County Fire Chiefs Association told the Marin County Board of Supervisors recently. “These events make it very clear that we must address our wildfire challenge at a greater community level rather than by individual jurisdictions. We know it has to happen. Now it’s just about how to do it.”

The free countywide public forum is an opportunity for residents to learn about local wildfire prevention happening in neighborhoods throughout the county, vegetation management projects on open space lands, emergency preparedness efforts at the community level, and what needs to happen next to meet “Lesson’s Learned” goals. Attendees will also hear from former Paradise, California, resident Shannamar Dewey, learn what they can do to protect their home and property, and discover ways to work together to make Marin as wildfire safe and emergency ready as possible.

At the forum, Tyler plans to present work areas identified as best approached strategically and collaboratively across the county.

“The fire chiefs all agree that countywide participation and coordination is needed to ensure that we have the resources we need to be effective, that those resources are managed efficiently, and that communities throughout the county are as safe and resilient as possible,” Tyler said.

The forum is being hosted by the nonprofit FIRESafe Marin, the Marin County Fire Chiefs Association, the County of Marin, and Firewise USA. Although the forum is free to attend, attendees are encouraged to register online Embassy Suites is located at 101 McInnis Parkway in San Rafael.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Related Topics:Marin County wildfire prevention wildfire training

Up Next

San Leandro to Host 21st Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration, May 3

Don't Miss

County Offering Internships for Young People

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.