Title
Receive a Presentation on Regional Wildfire Preparedness (Districts: All)
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Overview
San Diego County remains one of the nation’s most wildfire-prone regions. Since the devastating wildfires in 2003 and 2007, the County of San Diego (County) has made significant investments to strengthen regional wildfire preparedness through expanded fire protection resources, aviation capabilities, community risk reduction programs, emergency management, and regional coordination with local, state, federal, tribal, and special district partners. Despite these investments, wildfire risk remains high due to continued fuel accumulation, climate change, increasingly dry conditions, and longer, more intense fire seasons.
On January 28, 2025 (16, 17), the San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) took several actions to support San Diego County’s status as a national leader in wildfire mitigation and response which included directing County staff to conduct a comprehensive review of wildfire preparedness in the region. As part of that review, staff were to evaluate opportunities to strengthen regional aerial firefighting response, including identifying a modern helicopter platform capable of conducting nighttime firefighting operations. On June 3 (14), 2025, the Board received a presentation on wildfire preparedness in the region and directed County Fire to return annually with an update on regional fire preparedness. On October 21, 2025 (5), County Fire returned to the Board to present its findings and request authorization to purchase a Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk to be operational by Fiscal Year 2026-27.
Today’s presentation provides an update on wildfire conditions, County Fire regional preparedness, aviation enhancements, technology, community risk reduction initiatives, and emergency management. Investments in fire protection and wildfire preparedness continue to improve emergency response capabilities, and enhance the County’s ability to protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure.
Body
Recommendation by Chief Administrative Officer:
Receive a presentation on regional wildfire preparedness.
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Equity Impact Statement
Fire preparedness and prevention help mitigate wildfires that frequently start in rural and isolated communities and disproportionately impact tribal nations, as well as lower-income residents, older adults, and other vulnerable populations. Investments in preparedness, prevention, and emergency response support equitable access to fire and emergency resources throughout San Diego County.
Sustainability Impact Statement
Today’s action supports our region’s environmental well-being by minimizing the impact of wildland fires on residents and sensitive habitats.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with today’s presentation on regional wildfire preparedness efforts. There will be no change in General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
Business Impact Statement
N/A
Advisory Board Statement
On May 11, 2026, the San Diego County Fire Protection District Fire Advisory Board received an update regarding regional wildfire preparedness efforts.
Background
San Diego County remains one of the State’s most active wildfire regions. The devastating wildfires in 2003 and 2007 fundamentally changed the County of San Diego’s (County) approach to wildfire preparedness, emergency response, and regional coordination. Since then, the County has made significant investments to strengthen fire protection, emergency management services, community preparedness, and interagency coordination among local, state, federal, tribal, and special district partners. These investments have improved regional readiness while helping to mitigate the impacts of large-scale wildfires despite challenging fuel conditions.
Major wildfire events have become less frequent in our region since the 2003 and 2007 firestorms due to these significant investments made by the County and State. The County’s 2019 Wildland Fire Resilience Review identified wildfire as the most prevalent and costly immediate threat facing the region, citing climate change, prolonged drought, fuel growth, and expanding development within the wildland urban interface. Significant vegetation regrowth since 2007 and increasingly dry conditions across San Diego County, reinforces the need for continued investments in preparedness, prevention, and response. San Diego County Fire (County Fire) continuously monitors fuel conditions through sampling, weather observations, and predictive modeling to guide staffing, resource pre‑positioning, aviation readiness, and vegetation management, improving initial attack and reducing the chance of major fire growth.
Since its establishment in 2008, County Fire has grown into one of California’s largest regional fire protection agencies. Through the cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE, County Fire funds more than 300 firefighters at 21 County-owned fire stations serving approximately 1.73 million acres of unincorporated San Diego County. County Fire maintains more than 225 emergency vehicles, including fire engines, trucks, ambulances, water tenders, Urban Search and Rescue apparatus, and specialized response vehicles supporting all-hazard emergencies. County Fire’s cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE provides a unified response from County Fire’s 21 stations and 18 State-funded fire stations and 5 fire camps staffed by more than 1,100 CAL FIRE firefighters during peak staffing periods. Together, County Fire and CAL FIRE provide integrated wildfire suppression and all-hazard emergency response capabilities throughout the region.
In addition to the partnership between CAL FIRE and County Fire, County Fire collaborates with County departments to further strengthen wildfire preparedness and all-hazard emergency response in the region. The Office of Emergency Services (OES) leads countywide coordination before, during, and after disasters through an all-hazards emergency management approach. Through the Unified Disaster Council, OES coordinates preparedness, planning, response, recovery, and regional collaboration among County departments, 18 cities, tribal governments, special districts, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal partners. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (Sheriff’s Office) provides critical law enforcement, evacuation, emergency planning, and aviation support during wildfire incidents. Through its Emergency Planning Detail, the Sheriff’s Office coordinates regional evacuation planning, participates in multi-agency preparedness exercises, represents law enforcement on the County Evacuation Committee, and serves as the County’s Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Coordinator. During emergencies, the Sheriff’s Office leads evacuation operations utilizing Wireless Emergency Alerts, AlertSanDiego, Genasys Protect, Hi-Lo emergency notifications, and coordinated road closure operations while supporting Agricultural Pass and Emergency Tribal Access Pass programs that facilitate access for authorized personnel during disasters. During wildfires and other emergencies, the Department of Animal Services supports residents with evacuations of livestock and personal pets to appropriate locations.
Aviation Enhancements
Regional aerial firefighting capabilities have expanded significantly over the past year. Following Board direction received during the 2025 wildfire preparedness review, County Fire identified the need to strengthen nighttime aerial firefighting capability through acquisition of a modern helicopter platform. On October 21, 2025 (5), the Board approved the purchase of a Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk helicopter. The Firehawk entered service on May 25, 2026, and is stationed at the Ramona Air Attack Base. The Firehawk strengthens regional preparedness by expanding nighttime firefighting capability, increasing aerial suppression capacity with the capacity to drop 1,000 gallons of water, and integrating San Diego County into CAL FIRE’s statewide Firehawk fleet to support mutual aid. Through CAL FIRE’s cooperative agreement, reserve Firehawk aircraft are available during scheduled maintenance, ensuring continuous firefighting capability for the region. As part of this historic partnership, annual staffing costs, ongoing maintenance and training for the helicopter will be provided by the State through a memorandum of agreement (MOU) with CAL FIRE. For the County, this represents an estimated cost avoidance of $5.5 million. Additionally, SDG&E will provide $3.3 million annually to support the ongoing cost of the helicopter program.
Regional aviation capabilities were further enhanced through recent State-funded infrastructure improvements at the Ramona Air Attack Base, completed in partnership with the Department of Public Works Airports Division, including assignment of one of four State-owned CAL FIRE C-130 Hercules airtankers that can drop up to 4,000 gallons of fire retardant. These investments improve initial aerial attack capability and increase operational readiness during periods of elevated fire danger. The addition of the Firehawk and C-130 aircraft provide aerial resources capable of suppressing wildfires before they become large incidents. The Sheriff’s Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies (ASTREA) program further strengthens regional preparedness through aerial firefighting, rescue operations, hoist capability, and advanced life support missions. ASTREA operates seven helicopters, including three Type II firefighting helicopters, and responded to 285 wildfire incidents while conducting 985 water drops during 2025. Working alongside County Fire and CAL FIRE, ASTREA provides additional aviation capacity that strengthens the region’s integrated wildfire response system.
Technology
County Fire uses modern firefighting technology to improve situational awareness, speed decision-making, and strengthen coordination during emergencies. Tools like Tablet Command, a cloud-based incident management platform, and digital tactical mapping provide real time unit tracking, shared incident information, and dynamic visualizations of fire perimeters and critical infrastructure. Emerging platforms such as the AWARE California will further enhance early detection and public visibility by integrating UCSD ALERT live camera feeds, satellite data, and weather intelligence. OES also expanded emergency alerting capabilities through continued implementation and accessibility improvements of AlertSanDiego and Genasys Protect.
Wildfire Prevention and Public Engagement
County Fire continues to prioritize wildfire prevention through comprehensive Community Risk Reduction programs focused on vegetation management, defensible space, inspections, public education, and community preparedness. During calendar year 2025, County Fire completed approximately 680 lane miles of roadside vegetation management along County roads, 139 lane miles along State highways, approximately 224 acres of fuel breaks, approximately 45 lane miles of long-term fire-retardant treatment, and more than 53,000 staff hours dedicated to fuels management activities. County Fire also conducted 37,023 defensible space inspections and more than 3,200 business inspections to improve community safety and wildfire resilience. In response to the 2025 wildfire review, County Fire has worked closely with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to evaluate the use of livestock for grazing as a mitigation measure. Earlier this year, an as-needed pre-qualified list of vendors was compiled. County Fire and DPR have identified at least three grazing projects, on DPR land, that are anticipated to be cleared by June 30, 2027.
Community preparedness efforts also remain a priority. County Fire conducted 67 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trainings and outreach events, reached thousands of residents through wildfire preparedness education, supported community chipping events, and continued public education regarding defensible space, Ready, Set, Go!, and evacuation preparedness. During calendar year 2025, County Fire updated ten Community Wildfire Protection Plans, supported the creation of 17 Fire Safe Councils, completed home hardening outreach, and continued implementation of grant-funded mitigation projects. Recent Board investments expanded OES capabilities through dedicated divisions focused on Community Engagement and Preparedness, Planning and Training, and Response and Coordination. During Fiscal Year 2025-26, OES conducted 73 outreach events, strengthened community preparedness initiatives, updated emergency operations and hazard mitigation plans, conducted regional exercises, and enhanced Emergency Operations Center readiness. Together, these investments improve regional coordination, public warning, emergency management, and operational readiness for wildfires and other disasters.
Looking to the Future
The County has invested more than a billion dollars in fire protection and preparedness over the past two decades. That investment has not only drastically improved the safety of residents and homes within the San Diego County Fire Protection District, but it has also impacted the region’s fire protection system. The County has strategically focused on staffing, facilities, fleet, community preparedness, and risk reduction. This blueprint has changed the landscape of fire protection and serves as a path going forward. Wildfires are occurring in urban and rural communities, and further investments in modern fire stations, ground and air resources, training, and brush management will better safeguard the entire region.
Linkage To The County Of San Diego Strategic Plan
Today’s action supports the Community Initiative of the County of San Diego 2026-2031 Strategic Plan by providing a presentation on regional wildfire preparedness, emergency response capabilities, community resilience, and protecting residents, property, and critical infrastructure.
Respectfully submitted,
Ebony N. Shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment(s)
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