November 2025

From Seth Schalet, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council CEO

Kailyn Lindaman

I’m Kailyn Lindaman, and I am excited to join the SCCFSC team as a Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project Coordinator! My main focus so far has been on the Community Chipping Program. I have a B.S. in Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Geography from San Francisco State University, and I also spent a year at the San Jose Conservation Corps as a corpsmember. I look forward to applying my skills and knowledge to Santa Clara County wildfire resilience initiatives, contributing to healthier ecosystems and a safer community. 

In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors, whether it be a walk around a park or a hike in the mountains. I also enjoy bird watching and am currently trying to get better at species identification.

Congratulations to the Upper Black Road Community!

We’re excited to welcome Upper Black Road Community as the newest Firewise USA^® recognized community in Santa Clara County! Their commitment to wildfire preparedness and community collaboration helps make our county safer and more resilient.

Santa Clara County now proudly has 28 Firewise USA^® communities working together to reduce wildfire risk.

Is your neighborhood ready to take the next step?

Contact us at firewise@sccfiresafe.org to learn how to get started with the Firewise USA^® program.

Let’s keep the momentum going—one Firewise community at a time.

Congratulations to the 2025 SCCEMA Volunteer Award Recipients!

We are proud to recognize several outstanding Firewise USA^® volunteers who were honored with the 2025 Santa Clara County Emergency Managers Association (SCCEMA) Volunteer Award for their exceptional service and leadership.

Mike Salameh (Natoma Firewise Community), Rob Stump (Civic Center Hillside Neighborhood Firewise Community), and Rhonda Raider, Peter Hertan, and Jason Krings (Teresita Way Firewise Community) were each celebrated for their dedication to wildfire preparedness, community engagement, and ongoing efforts to strengthen local resilience.

These leaders play a vital role in expanding Firewise USA^® participation, organizing neighborhood initiatives, and educating residents about home hardening and defensible space. Their hard work and commitment make a measurable impact on safety throughout our region.

Thank you to all our Firewise USA^® volunteers for your continued service. Your efforts help build safer, more connected, and more resilient communities for everyone.

Pictured below: Mike Salameh, Natoma Firewise Community

Pictured below from left to right:

Chris Todd, Town of Los Gatos, Emergency Manager

Rob Stump, Civic Center Hillside Neighborhood

Jason Krings, Teresita Way

Peter Hertan, Teresita Way 

Victoria Bebee, President, SCCEMA

Firewise USA^® Renewal Reminder

The SCC FireSafe Council recently hosted a Firewise USA^® renewal workshop to help communities prepare for their annual reporting. If your neighborhood is due for renewal and you weren’t able to attend, you can still catch up — view the workshop slide deck to learn more about the process and requirements.

As a recognized Firewise USA^® site, each community must report the wildfire risk-reduction work completed by residents throughout the year, and ensure their three-year action plan or wildfire risk assessment is current. These documents guide ongoing priorities and help demonstrate continued progress in reducing wildfire risk.

All participating sites must submit their renewal application through the Firewise USA^® portal by November 21, 2025, to remain in good standing.

Interested in having your neighborhood become a recognized Firewise USA^® site? Reach out to firewise@sccfiresafe.org to get started.

Our Neighbor-to-Neighbor Cost Share Program is awarding mini-grants to neighborhoods for local fire prevention projects. Neighborhoods can receive up to 50% in cost-share assistance (max $5,000). Funding is limited and awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Interested in working with your neighbors on a community project? Apply for our N2N Cost Share Program and the FireSafe Council can help support your efforts! Funding is limited. Apply by December 31st. Projects must be completed by January 31, 2026. 

Fall Chipping Program's a Smash!

The 2025 Fall chipping program officially concluded on Friday, October 31st! It was an immense success with over 10,000 cubic yards of brush chipped. If you didn't get a chance to register this time around, we will have another chipping program running in Spring 2026! Stay tuned for more information. Learn More

In October, partners continued vegetation management across Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and San Jose Water polygons, using a mix of mastication and handwork to reduce fuel loads and support forest recovery as we transition into the rainy season. Project completion status is at 22%. Read More

The Robleda - Burke Evacuation Route Project has been completed as of Friday November 7th. The project was originally set to start Monday, November 3rd through November 14th and was the fifth project of the series for the calendar year.  Learn More

The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council partnered with the City of Palo Alto to complete a roadside vegetation clearance project along Page Mill Road. This maintenance project focused on preserving a key evacuation route through vegetation management and hazard reduction. The collaboration also included the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and Foothills Nature Preserve.

The project took place from late September through October, during which the FireSafe Council treated 24.24 acres along 10 miles of roadway. With the support of partner agencies, a total of 42.69 acres were treated. Denali Tree Service served as the vegetation subcontractor and Statewide Traffic Safety and Signs provided traffic control support.

The East Dunne Ave Phase III Project is kicking into full planning mode. We are working on community outreach and have started the process for notifications and the Right of Entry process. Looking to get in contact with the ranchers up there and will be reaching out to State Parks to inform them of the project. We are looking at an early December 2025 start date and hope to be done before the winter rains. Stay tuned for more updates on this project initiative. Learn More

Box Elder

(Acer negundo)

The box elder is a fast-growing, medium-sized deciduous tree native to North America, including California's Central Valley and riparian zones. Often found along streambanks and in bottomlands, it thrives in moist, disturbed environments and is a pioneer species in such habitats. Learn More

The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is proud to share the success of a recent Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessment event conducted on October 4th, 2025 in partnership with the American Red Cross and the San José Fire Department. Together, our teams provided residents in the Suncrest community with valuable defensible-space guidance, home-hardening recommendations, and wildfire-preparedness resources. This collaborative effort strengthened community resilience, expanded local outreach, and helped empower Suncrest residents to take meaningful steps toward reducing wildfire risk.

On October 28th, Seth spent the morning hanging out with the crew from CBS Evening News in Saratoga to shoot a segment on BurnBot's partnership with Santa Clara County FireSafe Council on our CAL FIRE Forest Health Grant project.

SCCFSC Operations Manager Dave Manson, BurnBot CEO Anukool Lakhina and yours truly (Seth) spent the morning on San Jose Water's property, part of our 400-acre West Branch phase.

Can't thank Jonathan Vigliotti, Bob Kozberg and the rest of the CBS crew enough for their professionalism and passion for this segment. Thank you, guys! When it is released, we will share it with our readers. Keep an eye out for Johnathan Vigliotti’s upcoming book "Torched," his account of the Los Angeles wildfires, to be published next May 2026. I hope to have him as a guest presenter over the summer-stay tuned.

Thank you for joining us for our October 21st Santa Clara County FireSafe Council monthly Board of Directors meeting where UC Berkeley professor and fire scientist Michael Gollner presented the highlights from his landmark wildfire study, Fire risk to structures in California’s Wildland-Urban Interface. Click here or graphic below to view the slides and/or Zoom presentation.

The Santa Clara County Fire's Vasona crew has completed the pile burning on Charcoal Road. The project has been going on for several months, with the crews cutting and stacking material along the 2,000' cross-county section of the Fuel Break. That part of the fuel break had been left open (not treated) for almost 9 years and was the weak link. After some planning and consideration it was determined that the project was important enough to pursue. SCCFD made it a priority for the crew, without payment or reimbursement from outside agencies. This effort needs to be acknowledged by all parties and SCCFD should be given the credit for finishing this very important fuel break. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Ranger Chris Barresi (MROSD) for assigning two crews and two engines to support the burn. The additional resources allowed efficient completion of the burn. This sort of cooperative endeavor is exactly what we will be working on when we establish the Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) in 2026.