FIRE SAFE San Mateo County works to protect life, property, and the environment in the county's wildland-urban interface through public and private partnerships for education and fuel reduction.
Our Mission
To maintain the quality of life while protecting property and the environment for residents of San Mateo County's wildland-urban interface, through public and private partnerships for education and fuel reduction. FIRE SAFE San Mateo County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
One of California's First Fire Safe Councils
In 1987, a committee of San Mateo County fire chiefs came together to address the potential for serious loss of life and property in the county's interface neighborhoods: hillside communities surrounded by dense vegetation and threatened by wildfire. That committee became FIRE SAFE San Mateo County, among the first fire safe councils formed in California, predating the California Fire Safe Council and others. Today, fire safe councils across the state and follow models similar to the ones that started here and neighboring Marin County.
From that beginning, supported by the County Fire Chiefs Association, the council has grown to include a diverse membership of fire agencies, land managers, utilities, and community organizations.
What We Do
- Reduce hazardous vegetation through fuel reduction projects and the neighborhood chipper program.
- Help residents create defensible space and harden their homes against ember ignition.
- Educate the public about wildfire hazard, fire behavior, and preparedness, guided by local agencies and current fire science.
- Support organized fire-safe communities across the county.