I kicked off June by attending a webinar on Wildfire Preparedness, Response, and Recovery: Understanding and Anticipating Health Risks of Wildfires, part of a three-part series sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The series brought together cross-sector leaders and experts to examine wildfire-related health risks, system vulnerabilities, and strategies to strengthen preparedness and protect communities.

Several friends and colleagues, including Rebecca Harned and Hussam Mahmoud, were among the guest presenters. I highly recommend watching the replay and exploring their presentations.

The following day, I was honored to be invited by Dr. Newsha Ajami to attend the inaugural Governance for Risk, Resilience, and Recovery (G3) Program Roundtable at Stanford University's Doerr School of Sustainability. The G3 program brings together policymakers, researchers, community and industry leaders to rethink how we assess and manage climate risks across preparedness, resilience, response, and recovery. I look forward to continuing our engagement with the G3 group and exploring opportunities for Santa Clara County FireSafe Council to help pilot and lead innovative, evidence-based resilience initiatives. I have also included Dr. Ajami's recent podcast, 484 Risk, Resilience, and Water Security, for you to enjoy.

I was also grateful to Russell Hancock, President & CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, for the invitation to speak with the Joint Venture Silicon Valley Board of Directors about regional wildfire risk and the importance of cross-sector collaboration in building resilient communities. It was a pleasure to be joined by Marc Landgraf and Derek Neumann of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, whose expertise and insights into wildfire resilience and landscape stewardship helped enrich the discussion.

My sincere thanks as well to Heidi Rodeback, Joint Venture Silicon Valley's Content and Marketing Manager, for capturing the key takeaways from our conversation, and to Melinda Chacón, Operations Manager, for ensuring the event ran seamlessly. I appreciate the opportunity to engage with such an outstanding group of regional leaders and partners committed to building a more resilient Silicon Valley. Read Heidi's article here.

Another highlight this month was the opportunity to present to the United Policyholders' Wildfire Risk Reduction and Asset Protection (WRAP) Working Group. My sincere thanks to Amy Bach and the entire United Policyholders team for the invitation. During my presentation, I shared updates on Santa Clara County FireSafe Council's programs, several of the county's largest wildfire risk reduction projects, our ongoing efforts to improve community insurability, and our expanding technology portfolio that provides tools and services to cities, municipalities, and counties across California. I was pleased to share the virtual stage with Trina Markey, Underwriting Section Manager for California at State Farm, whose presentation offered valuable insights into the insurance industry's perspective on wildfire risk and mitigation. Together, our presentations highlighted the importance of collaboration between communities, insurers, and wildfire resilience organizations as we work toward reducing risk and protecting lives and property. View Zoom replay here.

As always, I encourage you to explore the additional research articles, presentations, podcasts, and program updates featured throughout this newsletter. Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work together to build a more wildfire-resilient Santa Clara County.

Yours truly,



Seth Schalet

CEO, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is pleased to announce the promotion of Andrea Constantine to Wildfire County Coordinator.

Andrea has been an integral member of the FireSafe Council team, serving on the Community Outreach & Education team and as the Regional Firewise USA^® Coordinator. Throughout her tenure, she has led countywide outreach and education initiatives, supported the growth of Firewise USA^® communities, developed volunteer and Community Ambassador programs, and built strong partnerships with fire agencies, local governments, and community organizations.

In her new role, Andrea will lead and expand wildfire preparedness initiatives across Santa Clara County, coordinate collaborative wildfire resilience efforts, support the continued growth of Firewise USA^® communities, and strengthen partnerships that help reduce wildfire risk and build more resilient neighborhoods.

Outside of work, Andrea enjoys traveling, reading, and spending quality time with her family. She brings the same passion for connecting with people and building strong communities to both her professional and personal life.

Please join us in congratulating Andrea on this well-deserved promotion. We look forward to her continued leadership and dedication as she helps advance the FireSafe Council's mission of creating a safer, more wildfire-resilient Santa Clara County.

Zaid Ortiz, who serves as a Project Manager for the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council (SCCFSC), was recently promoted to Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Manager. 

Zaid has been with the SCCFSC for 3 years, and has helped the community of Santa Clara County with conducting defensible space assessments for residents, Installing wildfire Sensors, and helping push the CWPP efforts forward.In his expanded role, Zaid will lead the ongoing management, maintenance, and implementation of the Santa Clara County CWPP while continuing to collaborate with local fire agencies, government partners, community organizations, and other stakeholders to advance countywide wildfire resilience efforts.

Zaid earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from California State University, Sacramento, where he developed a strong foundation in environmental management, sustainability, and natural resource conservation. He brings that knowledge to his work by coordinating projects that strengthen wildfire preparedness and foster partnerships across Santa Clara County.

When he's not working, he enjoys spending time outdoors. Whether he's camping, snowboarding during the winter months, or tackling new problems at the bouldering gym, he enjoys staying active and exploring everything Northern California has to offer.

The South Bay Prescribed Burn Association (SBPBA) held its first training, the S-130 Field Exercise and Capacity Test, with a full capacity total of 20 participants on Saturday, June 27th, 2026. The participants varied from SCVOSA, San Benito RCD, and SJSU, along with interested community members. The all-day training allowed a variety of individuals the opportunity to obtain their Fire Fighter Type II certificate. It consisted of the pack test (3 miles in 45 minutes with 45 pounds in your backpack), shelter deployment, cutting fire line, and hose laying. 

We would like to thank the Coastal Conservancy for providing funding, Prometheus Fire Consulting for delivering expert instruction, and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for hosting the training on its property.

The equipment used throughout the training was purchased through the South Bay Prescribed Burn Association and is featured in the photos below. We are excited to continue building local prescribed fire capacity and strengthening partnerships that support wildfire resilience across the region.



Click HERE for additional workshop and training opportunities!

Upcoming Trainings and Courses:

S-212 Wildland Fire Chainsaws (4-day course over two weekends) – 
Registration coming soon!

• October 10–11, 2026: Classroom Sessions
• October 17–18, 2026: Field Sessions

Pile Burning Workshop & Air Quality/Burn Permitting – 
Registration coming soon!

• November 7, 2026

Join us in September to find out: What happens if EV charging stations burn in a wildfire, or low charged EV batteries die and start clogging the roads because they run out of juice? Join us for this insightful presentation to review an emerging issue and study all Emergency Managers, City Planners--and EV owners should read: The green gridlock: Projecting the unintended wildfire evacuation risks of EV adoption study 

Khondhaker Al Momin, E.I.T is a Ph.D. Candidate in Transportation Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, and the lead author of a recent study examining the unintended wildfire evacuation risks associated with increasing electric vehicle adoption, integrating infrastructure dependency, evacuation modeling, and system-level risk analysis.