Former U.S. Forest Service Crisis Communication Director Christie Wiley explains how she is solving the "capacity gap" in Texas wildfire protection. Despite Kendall County being one of the fastest-growing in the nation—with 94% of development in high-risk zones—it lacked a formal protection plan until Christie stepped in. Now, through the Hill Country Fire Coalition, she is moving beyond paperwork to execute a 4-pronged strategy involving education, risk assessments, roadside mitigation, and insurance incentives.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The Implementation Gap: Why many communities have a plan (CWPP) on the shelf but no boots on the ground to execute it.

• The 4-Pronged Strategy: A breakdown of Outreach, Risk Assessments, Roadside Hardening, and Insurance Incentives.

• The Sim Table Advantage: Using technology to show residents exactly how fire moves through box canyons and up ridges.

• Building a Dream Team: How Christie used the Incident Command System (ICS) to structure her nonprofit with retired fire chiefs and management officers.

• The "Bridge the Gap" Grant Program: A unique local solution for communities screened out of federal grants due to high average median income (AMI).

• One Way In, One Way Out: The life-safety reality of narrow Hill Country roads and the importance of expanding 30-foot rights-of-way to 50-foot defensible buffers.

• The Insurance Carrot: Moving the needle with state regulators to reward homeowners for verified mitigation work.