REGIONAL PRIORITY PLANNING
Building Wildfire Resilience Together in San Luis Obispo County
The San Luis Obispo County Regional Priority Plan (RPP) is a collaborative wildfire resilience initiative led by the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council in partnership with local agencies, community stakeholders, the California Department of Conservation, and the California State Coastal Conservancy.
The RPP is organized around three core planning elements:
Geography and Governance
Assessment and Methodology
Landscape Project Portfolio
The program integrates regional wildfire assessments, planning documents, GIS analysis, and project prioritization tools to support coordinated wildfire resilience efforts for all lands and jurisdictions of San Luis Obispo County.
GEOGRAPHY & GOVERNANCE
GEOGRAPHY
The San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council (SLOFSC) serves as the governing and coordinating organization for the Regional Priority Planning (RPP) process throughout all lands and jurisdictions in San Luis Obispo County.
GOVERNANCE
The SLOFSC Board of Directors includes 34 voting members and 12 non voting ex officio members representing local municipalities, special districts, county, state, and federal agencies, tribal organizations, non governmental organizations (NGOs), community fire safe focus groups, and public stakeholders with a shared interest in wildfire resilience and Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) planning.
The SLOFSC provides countywide coordination through a collaborative governance structure that integrates local agencies, partner organizations, community stakeholders, and grassroots Fire Safe Focus Groups. Currently, 13 community level Fire Safe Focus Groups help connect local residents, organizations, neighborhoods, and jurisdictions directly into the regional planning and project development process.
SLOFSC Meetings are open to the public and provide opportunities for community participation, project discussion, and regional coordination. Community members and organizations can participate by attending public meetings, joining local Fire Safe Focus Groups, contributing to project development discussions, and participating in regional wildfire resilience planning efforts. Meeting schedules, participation opportunities, and additional information are publicly available through the SLOFSC Meetings page.
As part of the Regional Priority Planning framework, the SLOFSC is responsible for developing and managing the FireShed Regional Priority Planning platform, including the FireShed Dashboard, Project Portal, and our regional project portfolio. The SLOFSC solicits, reviews, and coordinates project proposals submitted by both member and non member organizations or residents throughout the county.
Project evaluation and prioritization are conducted through a collaborative review process by our Project Review Team. Proposed projects are evaluated using local wildfire risk assessments, mitigation strategies, land use considerations, Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) priorities, and regional resilience objectives to help ensure projects align with countywide wildfire preparedness and long term resilience goals.
ASSESSMENT & METHODOLOGY
The San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council (SLOFSC) utilizes a regional assessment and methodology framework that combines wildfire science, GIS analysis, planning documents, local data, and community input to identify wildfire risks and prioritize resilience projects throughout San Luis Obispo County. Through the FireShed Report and FireShed Dashboard, we assess wildfire hazards, fuel conditions, community vulnerability, evacuation considerations, ecological resources, and infrastructure risks across the county.
Our approach balances fire risk reduction, ecosystem health, cultural values, and community safety to support long term regional resilience. Project evaluation also considers local Fire Jurisdiction support, funding opportunities, project readiness, staffing and operational resources, and the long term ability to implement and maintain projects successfully.
Projects that support the goals and objectives identified in Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), FireShed planning efforts, evacuation planning initiatives, and other resilience strategies are considered especially important within the Regional Priority Planning process. However, we also recognize the value of stand alone projects that improve wildfire preparedness, reduce risk, or enhance local community resilience.
PROJECT REVIEW TEAM
To evaluate proposed projects the SLO FSC project review team, comprised of subject matter experts, practitioners, and community members, using a transparent and science-based prioritization methodology that incorporates data-driven approaches for determining, project readiness, strategic connection to community plans and priorities, funding sources, environmental and cultural conditions, implementation resource availability, and project management capability.
They prioritize and make recommendations to the full SLO FSC board of directors for final approval
LANDSCAPE PROJECT PORTFOLIO
The San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council (SLOFSC) maintains the SLO County FireShed Portfolio as part of the Regional Priority Planning (RPP) process to help identify, coordinate, and track wildfire resilience projects throughout San Luis Obispo County. The portfolio represents the Landscape Portfolio of Projects component of the RPP framework and includes current, funded, and awarded projects across multiple jurisdictions and communities countywide.
Projects within the portfolio include planning efforts, community outreach, fuel reduction, ecological restoration, evacuation improvements, defensible space initiatives, and other wildfire resilience activities. These projects demonstrate how residents, SLOFSC focus groups, local fire agencies, nonprofits, SLO County cities, districts, community organizations, public agencies, and regional partners are working together to reduce wildfire risk, protect critical infrastructure, and strengthen long term community resilience.
The SLOFSC regularly updates the project portfolio featured on this website. Projects highlighted within the portfolio directly support and help implement the goals, objectives, and priorities identified in the FireShed Regional Priority Plan, Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), evacuation planning efforts, and other regional resilience strategies.
Projects managed by partner organizations may also be included as information becomes available to help provide a more comprehensive view of wildfire mitigation, preparedness, and resilience activities occurring throughout San Luis Obispo County.
PROJECT CENTER
Project Center is an interactive GIS viewer showcasing past projects supported throughout San Luis Obispo County. Explore project locations, funding sources, timelines, and treatment types while seeing how local partnerships support wildfire mitigation, community preparedness, and resilience. The viewer helps residents, agencies, and grant sponsors understand completed work, ongoing efforts, and regional investments protecting lives, property, and critical infrastructure across our communities.
GUIDANCE & PLANNING DOCUMENTS
Regional partners work together to identify, coordinate, prioritize, and advance wildfire and forest resilience projects that protect communities and natural resources. These efforts are guided by these documents.
These documents emphasize broad stakeholder inclusion and transparent decision-making. These documents are living frameworks that are regularly updated to reflect new data, evolving conditions, and local input, ensuring projects remain effective, relevant, and community-driven.
Through this coordinated approach, partners align resources, funding opportunities, and implementation strategies to maximize impact across jurisdictions. Projects are evaluated based on risk reduction, community benefit, feasibility, and consistency with these guiding documents, ensuring that investments are strategic and focused on long-term resilience outcomes for San Luis Obispo County.
This process strengthens regional collaboration by bringing together public agencies, non-governmental organizations, tribal partners, and community-based groups to share data, leverage expertise, and coordinate implementation. By integrating local knowledge with technical analysis, partners identify priority areas, reduce duplication, and accelerate project delivery while improving grant competitiveness.
FINANCIAL SPONSORS
