Living With Fire in Santa Cruz County

by Camisa Composti · November 1, 2024

The danger of wildfires in Santa Cruz County reminds us all about the need to be proactive in preventing the spread of fires. This publication has been distributed in order to provide residents a comprehensive resource of fire prevention information.

Santa Cruz County has grown tremendously in the past decade with more homes and neighborhoods spreading into the rural and fire hazardous areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Being a property owner in these areas, as in all areas of the County, means taking on the responsibility to insure that your home and neighborhood is fire safe. By following the guidelines in this publication and contacting your local fire district/agency or the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for further information and assistance you can insure that your home, property, loved ones and neighbors are well prepared for a potential fire event.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO PROTECT YOU AND YOUR PROPERTY – IN AN EMERGENCY CALL 9-1-1:

Aptos/La Selva Beach Fire Protection District: (831) 685-6690
Ben Lomond Fire Protection District: (831) 336-5495
Boulder Creek Fire Department: (831) 338-7222
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection/Santa Cruz County Fire Department: (831) 335-5353
Central Fire Protection District (serving Capitola, Live Oak, Soquel): (831) 479-6842
Felton Fire Protection District: (831) 335-4422
Santa Cruz City Fire Department: (831) 420-5280
Scotts Valley Fire Protection District: (831) 438-0211
University of California Santa Cruz Fire Department: (831) 459-3473
Watsonville Fire Department: (831) 728-6060
Zayante Fire Protection District: (831) 335-5100

The Coast-Cascade Region of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

The CDF Mission

The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection protects the people of California from fires, responds to emergencies and protects and enhances forest, range and watershed values providing social, economic and environmental benefits to rural and urban citizens.

California Fire Plan

The California Board of Forestry and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) have developed a fire plan for wildland fire protection in California. The goal of the plan is to reduce the overall costs and losses from wildfire in California.

The Santa Cruz County Fire Chiefs Association

The purpose of the Santa Cruz Fire Chiefs Association is to:

Conduct meetings at regular intervals to discuss matters pertinent to County Wildfire service issues
Promote uniformity of the fire service throughout the County
Provide a medium for exchange of information and ideas among fire service personnel
Develop and coordinate solutions to fire service problems that are common throughout the County
Exercise and evaluate various County fire service operational plans
Promote the general welfare of the public and fire service

The Chipper Program

The Santa Cruz County Fire Chiefs Association has purchased a chipper for use by local fire districts and fire departments to assist neighborhood and road associations with fuel load management projects in the County. For further information on the Chipper Program, refer to the back cover of this informational guide.

This publication has been revised and printed by the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District through a grant from the Sacramento Regional Foundation’s Community-based Wildfire Prevention Program.

For more information the City of Santa Cruz has an online downloadable 20 page PDF (Living With Fire in Santa Cruz County: A Guide for Homeowners) outlining all fire measures and FAQs such as: