Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
THE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL-SISKIYOU COUNTY IS A NON-PROFIT VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO IMPROVE WILDIRE SAFETY THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION AND DEMONSTRATION WILDIRE FUEL REDUCTION PROJECTS.
- Income
- $725,446
- Spending
- $1.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 99%
- Reserves
- -2.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 90%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 9
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 25 out of 100. Higher than 1% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 238% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 59% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1599% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 83% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (2)
- $1.1 million spent. SEE SCHEDULE O
- JUNIPER FLAT FIRE SAFE COUNCIL FUELS REDUCTION PROJECT THE JUNIPER FLAT COMPREHENSIVE FUEL REDUCTION PROJECT WILL REDUCE THE RISK OF A CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRE STARTING, LOWER THE TEMPERATURE AND SLOW THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRE AND LOWER THE RESULTANT HIGH INTENSITY GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. WE HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE SHADED FUEL BREAKS ON APPROXIMATELY 426 ACRES ADJACENT TO EVACUATION ROUTES IN THE MOUNT SHASTA VISTA SUBDIVISION ACCORDING TO A PRESCRIPTION WRITTEN BY CAL FIRE. SPECIFICALLY A FUEL REDUCTION CONTRACTOR WILL LIMB UP TREES 6-8 FEET, REMOVE TREES SMALLER THEN 8" DIAMETER AT BREAST HEIGHT AND REMOVE ALL BRUSH SPECIES. WORK WILL BE DONE BY HAND CREWS AND A MASTICATOR. DEBRIS WILL BE CHIPPED OR MASTICATED. WE WILL NOT BURN ANYTHING. THE TREAMENT WILL CREATE HEALTHIER, MORE FIRERESISTANT FOREST WHICH WILL ABSORB MORE CARBON, REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. CAL FIRE COORDINATOR'S GRANT THE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL OF SIKIYOU COUNTY RECEIVED A COUNTY COORDINATOR'S GRANT FROM THE CALIFORNIA FIRE SAFE COUNCIL. THE COUNTY COORDINATOR WILL CONTINOE EFFORTS TO EDUCATE, ENCOURAGE AND DEVELOP COUNTY WIDE COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION AMOUNG VARIOUS WLLDFIRE MITIGATION GROUPS OPERATING WLTHIN SISKIYOU COUNTY. WE WILL INTERACT WITH LOCAL FIRE SAFE COUNCILS, HOAS, VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, CAL FIRE, USDA FOREST SERVICE, RCDS, OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES THROUGH MONTHLY MEETINGS, GRANT WRITING, QUESTION ANSWERING, SOLUTION FINDING, PROJECT COLLABORATION, EDUCATION, OUTREACHES AND MORE. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH CA FIRE SAFE COUNCIL'S EXISTING REGIONAL COORDINATORS TO: 1) BUILD A CENSUS OF ALL ACTIVE WILDFIRE MITIGATION GROUPS, CONTACT POINTS, COLLABORATION EFFORTS AND PROJECTS. 2) DEVELOP MECHANISMS TO IMPROVE OUTREACH AND COORDINATION EFFORTS, SUCH AS GROUP FORMATION, FUNDING PLANS, GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES AND STATE/REGIONAL/LOCAL PLANING EFFORTS. 3) ANALYSE GAPS IN COUNTY WIDE WILDFIRE RESI1IENCY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DEVELOP RECOMENDATIONS TO FILL THESE NEEDS. 4) PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE FINAL REPORT SUMMARIZING THE COUNTY WILDFIRE OUTREACH & COORDINATLON PLANS, KEY ISSUES, SUCESSFUL OUTCOMES, GAPS AND RECOMENDATIONS. THE FSCSC BENEFITS 47,500 SISKIYOU COUNTY RESIDENTS. SO. OLD STAGE/HWY 89 FUEL REDUCTION THIS PROJECT WILL CONCENTRATE ON STRATEGICAILY TREATING APPROXIMATELY 165- ACRES IN THE MT. SHASTA WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE. PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON WILDLAND PROTECTION BY CREATING FUELBREAKS/SHADED FUELBREAKS UP TO 150-300 FT. TO EITHER SIDE OF ROADS ALONG SO. OLD STAGE RD, FROM SECTION 34 OF THE USFS HWY. 89 PROJECT AREA IN THE SACRAMENTO RIVER WATERSHED AND WILL RUN NORTH ALONG SO. OLD STAGE RD ENDING AT REAM AVE. IT WILL ALSO RUN NORTHEAST FROM SO. OLD STAGE RD ALONG AZALEA RD TO ITS EASTERLY TERMINUS AT HWY 89. DEMONSTRATIVELY THESE STRATEGICALLY PLACED FUELBREAKS WILL HELP EDUCATE THE CITIZENRY ON HOW TO BECOME MUCH MORE FIREWISE. INTERSTATE 5 FUELS TREATMENT (AZALEA PROJECT-PHASE II) THIS HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTIONS PROJECT OF APPOZIMATELY 40 ACRES IS LOCATED IN THE WUI AND SRA OF SOUTH SISKIYOU COUNTY. THIS PROJECT TREATS CRITICAL AREAS THAT ARE HIGH TO VERY HIGH SEVERITY ZONES ACCORDING TO CAL FIRE'S FRAP MAP AND ARE PREDOMINATELY WITH THE SRA. THIS PROJECT TREATED APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AND APPROXIMATELY 55 ACRES ON THE WEST SIDE/SOUTH BOUND LANE OF I-5. THE EAST SIDE/NORTH BOUND LANE IS CURRENTLY BEING TREATED BY A PREVIOUSLY FUNDED CAL FIRE GRANTS TO THE SHASTA VALLEY RCD. THE PROJECT AREA IS WITHIN THE CAL TRANS INTERSTATE 5 RIGHT-OF-WAY FROM THE SISKIYOU AVENUE INTERCHANGE, EXIT 732 (MILE POST 4.2) NORTH TO AXALEA ROAD OVERCROSSING (MILE POST 8.2). THE PROJECT AREAS VAIES IN WIDTH FROM APPROXIMATELY 75' TO 300" FROM THE PAVED ROADWAY EDGE. I-5 MOUNT SHASTA CEQA/FTP PROJECT DUNSMUIR FUELS MITIGATION PROJECT THIS SUMMARY APPLIES TO ALL PROJECTS. REVENUE & EXPENSES LESS AMOUNTS FOR LISTED PROJECTS. 1) SERVE COMMUNITY & NEIGHBORHOOD FIRE SAFE NEEDS. 2) IMPROVE FIRE SAFETY BY REDUCING DANGEROUS FUEL LOADS. 3) EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE THREAT OF FIRE & FIRE PREVENTION MEASURES. 4) PROMOTE HEALTHY FORESTS AND HIGH AIR & WATER QUALITY. 5) HELP FACILITATE NATIONAL, STATE & COUNTY FIRE PLANS. 6) REBATES TO LOW INCOME RESIDENTS FOR COMPLETION OF 100 FOOT FIRE DEFENSIBLE SPACE PROJECTS. THE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL OF SISKIYOU COUNTY (FSCSC) HAS HOSTED REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS TO HELP DISSEMINATE PERTINENT INFORMATION TO CITIZENS OF SISKIYOU COUNTY REALTIVE TO DEVELOPING FIREWISE COMMUNITIES AND PERFORM FIRE SAFE ACTIVITIES PLUS ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL FIRE SAFE COUNCILS AND AGENCIES WITH SIMILAR FIREWISE INTEREST. THE FSCS HAS WRITTEN, RECEIVED, ADMINISTERED AND HAS BEEN FISCAL SPONSOR FOR GRANTS REGARDING FIRE SAFE ENDEAVORS. THROUGH VOLUNTEER EFFORTS AND GRANT FUNDING THE FSCSC HAS HELPED TREAT OVER 1400 ACRES OF LAND FOR FIRE SAFE PURPOSES SINCE ITS INCEPTION. SCOTT VALLEY WATER TANK PROJECT THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO CONSTRUCT A 10,000 GALLON CONCRETE WATER STORAGE TANK IN THE GREATER SCOTT VALLEY ARE PRIMARILY FOR INITIAL ATTACK FIREFIGHTING. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO IMPROVE THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE OF AREA AGENCIES BY PROVIDING A RELIABLE WATER SOURCE FOR FIREFIGHTING PURPOSES. THE TANK HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED AND INSTALLED.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 2004.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.