South Bay Prescribed Burn Association
The Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council (SCCFSC) is leading the development of the South Bay Prescribed Burn Association (South Bay PBA) to help private and public landowners safely use beneficial fire to reduce wildfire severity and improve landscape health in Santa Clara County. Managed by the SCCFSC under a grant from the California Coastal Conservancy, the South Bay PBA will work to build local capacity through training programs, workshops, and community outreach.
The South Bay PBA will organize training programs to provide educational opportunities for non-fire service affiliated individuals. We will also conduct workshops and community outreach. Through the SCCFSC, the South Bay PBA will contract certified experts to conduct training sessions for members to receive qualifications that may be required for certain burns. For more information, you can sign up to receive South Bay PBA information on our Subscribe page.
The South Bay Prescribed Burn Association (SBPBA) held our first training, the S-130 Field Exercise and Capacity Test, with a 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.
The equipment used throughout the training was purchased through the South Bay Prescribed Burn Association and is featured in the photos above. We are excited to continue building local prescribed fire capacity and strengthening partnerships that support wildfire resilience across the region.
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.
