Santa Rosa Fire Foundation

Our speakers for January 27, 2022, were Chief Scott Westrope and Jennielynn Holmes of the Santa Rosa fire Foundation. Chief Westrope is the current Fire Chief for the Santa Rosa Fire Department. He started with the Department in 2000 and worked his way up to Chief. Jennielynn Holmes is the President of the Board of Directors of the Santa Rosa Fire Foundation. She is the Chief Program Officer for Catholic Charities, has a long history working with community-based volunteer groups, received her master’s degree in Public Health from the University of San Francisco, and has been recognized by the North Bay Business Journal as on of the top 40 business professionals under the age of 40.The Santa Rosa Fire Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organized to support the Fire Department and help the community healing process from the devastating fires we’ve suffered since 2017. The Foundation’s core areas of support include developing wildfire resiliency, enhancing health and wellness, and fostering community engagement. The Foundation was created to harness the financial resources offered by community members and organizations to support the S.R. Fire Department’s fire-fighting efforts. Due to governance issues, the Department cannot accept such community donations, so the Foundation can receive donations and community support and use them to help assist the Department with its goals.

The Department has recognized that its past business model is not particularly effective against the threat of area-wide wildfires. The Department is an elite urban force, but it has not traditionally been used to combat rural wildfires, even those that impact the City of Santa Rosa. The Department recognizes the need to change its model to better combat this “new normal.” For example, big wildfires require a recall of all active firefighters, but the Department does not have sufficient equipment to go around when all firefighters are recalled. The wildfires have also affected employees’ physical health and well-being, and those issues need to be addressed. These needs coincide with the Department’s Recruitment and Diversity Strategic Plan, which seeks to invest in the community by attracting local talent into the fire department. The Foundation can help leverage community involvement and donations to help the Department achieve its goals of effectively responding to, and preventing, wildfires.

Thank you Chief Westrope and Jennielynn for giving us this important update on how the Foundation intends to help the Fire Department in new and exciting ways. This government/community cooperation seems like the best way to address the new threats posed by wildfire.