Regional Wildfire Strategy

Getting fuel reduction done meaningfully and efficiently means prioritizing: what assets are at risk, where the hazard is worst, and what is feasible. FIRE SAFE San Mateo County and our members work from several regional prioritization documents.

Community Wildfire Protection Plan

The joint Santa Cruz and San Mateo County CWPP assesses hazards across both counties, identifies at-risk communities, and recommends fuel reduction for priority areas. It is the foundation document for regional strategy and the key to most state and federal project funding. See our CWPP page for the current plan and history.

CAL FIRE Strategic Fire Plans

CAL FIRE's San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit (CZU) maintains a unit-level strategic fire plan that assesses assets at risk, hazard, and priority projects across the unit, updated regularly. Statewide priorities flow from the Fire and Resource Assessment Program and the state's strategic fire plan. These unit plans were the starting point for the priority fuel reduction projects the state has funded since 2019, when Executive Order N-05-19 directed CAL FIRE to identify projects protecting the most vulnerable communities, an effort that has since grown into the state's ongoing Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force program of work.

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Wildland Fire Program

Midpen manages tens of thousands of acres of open space in and around San Mateo County. Its wildland fire resiliency program covers fuel management, prescribed fire planning, and public safety across the district. See Midpen's wildland fire resiliency program for current projects.

How the Pieces Fit

Regional strategy sets the where and why; local execution is the how. Projects identified in these plans get built through grant funding, CAL FIRE crews, the San Mateo RCD, and member agencies, and they only hold their value when parcel-level defensible space and home hardening back them up.