Dovetail Partners, Inc. receives $10,000 grant from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm in support of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Events

Dovetail Partners, Inc. receives $10,000 grant from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm in support of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Events

• Apr 16, 2025

Dovetail Partners, Inc. receives $10,000 grant from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm in support of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Events 

April 16, 2025 – Dovetail Partners, Inc. has announced that it is among 12 organizations nationwide selected to receive $10,000 in grant funding from the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) and State Farm® in support of its Wildfire Community Preparedness Day efforts throughout 2025. 

“I’m delighted that NFPA and State Farm can support Dovetail Partners, Inc. with their 2025 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day plans, as they have consistently demonstrated a dedication to wildfire mitigation. We hope the funding will help maximize their efforts to reach and impact as many St. Louis County homes as possible,” said Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director at NFPA. 

Dovetail Partners, Inc. is preparing to actively support Wildfire Community Preparedness Day in various communities throughout St. Louis County.  Dates and times of these events will be posted on the Minnesota Arrowhead Fire Adapted Communities website: https://minnesotafac.org.   

“It was an honor to receive grant funding from NFPA and State Farm in recognition of the work we’ve done to increase St. Louis County’s wildfire resiliency efforts,” said Gloria Erickson, Fire Adapted Communities Project Manager at Dovetail Partners, Inc and the contracted Firewise Coordinator for St. Louis County. “The money we received in support of our Preparedness Day plans will help ensure that we reach as many homes as possible, which is critically important for our communities, particularly as the wildfire season is now upon us.”

Now entering its 11th year, Wildfire Community Preparedness Day officially takes place the first Saturday in May. The annual campaign encourages individuals and organizations to come together on a single day to proactively reduce wildfire risks. Plans have been made for multiple community events in St. Louis County to be held throughout the year. The first event is in Normanna Township on the designated May 3rd National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. 

Our wildfire preparedness events begin with a hands-on Firewise Best Practices demonstration. These events are followed by a neighborhood hazardous woody debris curbside pickup or drop off day to dispose of materials removed by private landowners.

Research around home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames as the main way homes ignite in wildfires. Embers are burning pieces of airborne wood and/or vegetation that can be carried more than a mile away by the wind. These embers can cause spot fires and ignite homes when coming in contact with dry flammable objects within 0 to 100 feet of a structure.  The wildfire community preparedness events bring people together to learn about these potential wildfire ember ignition areas and demonstrate various actions we can take to help reduce      wildfire risks to homes and communities, and most importantly, to enhance personal safety for ourselves and our loved ones.

To learn more about St. Louis County’s Wildfire Community Preparedness Day plans throughout the year visit https://minnesotafac.org.   In addition, NFPA has created a Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Toolkit, which provides all the resources and information individuals and communities need to plan and implement projects that can help make their homes and neighborhoods safer from wildfire. For more information about Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, visit wildfireprepday.org. 

If you or your community would like to host a Wildfire Community Preparedness event please contact Gloria Erickson at gloria@dovetailinc.org or 218-365-0878. 

About the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®)

Founded in 1896, NFPA® is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.

About State Farm

For over 100 years, the mission of State Farm has been to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,200 agents and 67,000 employees serve over 91 million policies and accounts – including auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 39 on the 2024 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.