July 29, 2024 - Park Fire's Impact on our Campus Community

Dear campus community, 
 
The last few days have been incredibly difficult, filled with stress, anxiety, sadness, and much more as we watched the Park Fire threaten our community and wreak havoc on our neighbors and surrounding landscapes. I hope this message finds you safe and well, and that our compassion and care for one another will help us all in the days and weeks to come. Campus remains open during business hours, with regular operations, online summer classes, and orientation taking place. While Chico and our campus remain safe, the fire continues to burn and threaten communities in a large span of our North State region. As we start the week and wait to learn more about the fire’s impacts on our faculty, staff, and students, I know many are looking for answers and I wanted to address a few key topics.  
 
Leave Options 
By now, individuals are learning about the loss of their homes and others are still grappling with evacuations and uncertainty. If you can’t report to work, please contact your supervisor so we can work with you to look at your options. We also ask that you notify the Emergency Operations Center at eoc@csuchico.edu so we can assess the impact to our campus to best align resources and provide support. Meanwhile, because a State of Emergency was formalized by the governor last week, we may grant Catastrophic Leave to bargaining unit employees impacted by the Park Fire. Employees interested in voluntarily donating leave credits through the Catastrophic Leave Donation program to assist colleagues whose principle place of residence has been impacted by the Park Fire should contact leaves-workcomp@csuchico.edu or 530-898-4670. This is also the contact information for those requesting time off. HR can also be a resource to address changes, direct deposit, and other necessary updates, and we are exploring what other resources are available to those who have been affected. 
 
BCCER Update 
It brings me great sadness to report that the Park Fire burned through most of the University’s Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, and destroyed the office headquarters and the historic barn, among other infrastructure. Of course, our biggest concern was the safety of the reserve’s 40-plus employees. Thanks to the foresight and caution of BCCER leadership and staff, as well as their experience with wildfire response, they evacuated early Wednesday and no one was harmed. The impacts on the landscape and the wildlife that call the BCCER home remain to be seen, as well as what the fire’s impact means for employees and projects underway at the BCCER. We’ll have more on that to share in the coming weeks.  
 
Air Quality 
In the last day or two, the change in winds has caused smoke to settle here in the valley. While the Air Quality Index (AQI) is still well under 100 and does not pose a danger to any groups at this time, the smell of smoke is noticeable and Environmental Health and Safety is actively monitoring the AQI. If any additional AQI alerts are needed, or if any changes in outdoor work are required, EHS will notify managers or the campus as appropriate. Please keep in mind that neither the smell of smoke nor the visual impact of smoke directly correlates to the Air Quality Index, which is the measure of air quality used by Cal/OSHA and others. For more information on air quality, you can visit the EHS website or contact EHSAdmin@csuchico.edu.  
 
Counseling 
While the smoke itself may not pose a threat, it perpetuates the sense of heaviness we all feel about the devastation this fire has brought to our region and, for many, has resurfaced the stress and trauma of past fires. The Employee Assistance Center is available for employees to offer emotional support 24/7 by calling 1-800-357-7474 (company code: csuchico). Students in need of counseling can also get 24/7 support and can contact the WellCat Counseling Center by calling 530-898-6345 or emailing  counselingcenter@csuchico.edu. 
 
Thanking Responders 
For now, our greatest focus remains on supporting those within our campus community who have been affected by the fire and lending our expertise and ability where we can help with response and recovery. I’d like to thank everyone who has responded to this disaster—either as part of their official role or simply in the spirit of helping. Whether our University Police Department supporting with evacuation and patrols, our Human Identification Laboratory’s mobilization to respond if needed, the staff at North State Public Radio who are providing critical updates and fire information around the clock, and volunteers with the North Valley Animal Disaster Group, our commitment to our community has been unwavering. Perhaps you opened your home to evacuees or simply reached out to friends and neighbors to see how they were doing. Either way, our values as a campus are a bright light during these deeply challenging moments, and I’m honored to be a part of such a compassionate and caring community.  
 
Other Support 
A big question on people’s minds is “What can I do to help?” In this moment, we are still assessing impacts within our Chico State community. When we know more about affected employees and students, I may reach out. For now, I recommend we support those entities in our community who are established and already have the connections to deploy resources where needed most. The North Valley Community Foundation is accepting financial donations and stands ready to deploy grants from its Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund, and the Hope Center of Oroville is collecting shelf-stable food, snacks, bottled water, hygiene items for men and women, gas cards, and cat and dog food. We also have a fund for the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, and donations will be used to support recovery from the impacts of the Park Fire. 
 
Please continue to check in with one another, practice kindness and understanding, and be mindful of the fire’s continued impact. These disasters test us, no doubt. While we have the protocols and policies in place to address the technical aspects of a nearby wildfire, it is our heart and humanity as a community and as individuals that unite us and help us navigate the next steps forward. I appreciate each of you as you show up in this way.