Santa Clara Co. Wildfire Prep Slated For Next Week

MORGAN HILL, CA — Don't be alarmed if you see a number of fire engines headed for the southern part of Santa Clara County next week.

The Santa Clara County Fire Chief’s Association will host wildfire preparedness exercises on June 11, 12, and 14. The drills set for Santa Teresa County Park in Coyote Valley will exercise the local mutual aid system and the South Bay Incident Management Team.

“Wildfires do not respect jurisdictional boundaries,” said Tony Bowden, Santa Clara
County Fire chief and drill incident commander. “On a large wildfire, local fire
departments typically provide the majority of firefighting resources. Recognizing that, in
early June, the fire departments and our partner agencies in Santa Clara County will come together to ensure our personnel are ready to respond and help each other in the event of a large emergency.”

There are nearly 150 fire engines in Santa Clara County available to respond to
emergencies on a daily basis. Utilizing them effectively during a large wildfire requires a
well-coordinated plan and practice. This year’s Wildfire Preparedness Exercise will focus on deploying mutual aid resources such as fire engines on a simulated wildfire in Santa Clara county's rural southern park.

“The mutual aid system in California is often regarded as a model for the rest of the world,” Santa Clara County Fire Chiefs Association President Chief Steve Drewniany said. “This system gives us the ability to efficiently deploy firefighting resources locally and statewide to large wildfires. Knowing it’s not a question of if we’ll experience a large wildfire, but rather when, the Santa Clara County Fire Chiefs holds this preparedness exercise every year to ensure we, collectively, are ready.”

Santa Clara and San Mateo counties have a number of areas identified in Cal Fire's high-risk zones.