Fire Safe Council of San Diego County

The Fire Safe Council of San Diego County (FSC) was formed in 1997, as a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation in the state of California. It is a collaboration between the staff of the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County (RCD), along with local, state, federal, and tribal fire agency partners. The RCD manages the programs, projects, and the funds for the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, which serves all residents and local FSCs within the County to protect their homes, communities, and environments from catastrophic wildfire.

Fire Safe Councils are grassroots, community-led organizations that mobilize volunteers to make their communities safer. In San Diego, we are dedicated to increasing fire safety awareness and preparedness, managing fire hazards, supporting forest health, and resilience.

Community Fire Safe Councils

We support and oversee 50+ community Fire Safe Councils in San Diego County!  

Each community Fire Safe Council is unique because the volunteers understand the  geography and fire safety concerns of their neighborhood.

We support community Fire Safe Councils through:

• Facilitating bi-monthly Board and General Association meetings
• Templates, guidance and support for Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs)
• Hosting various fire safety and preparedness workshops and town-hall meetings
• Grants programs
• Technical assistance with mapping, grant applications, and fiscal sponsorships

Read more about community Fire Safe Councils, find one in your area, or start a new one here: firesafesdcounty.org/community fire safe councils

 

Community Programs

In 2026 the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County is offering 4 homeowner assistance programs in select communities.

Home Assessment Program

Concepts like home hardening, defesible space, and specifically Zone 0 are gaining a lot of attention but it can be difficult to understand how they apply to your home in particular. To help bridge this gap the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County provides free, non-regulatory, educational assessments to homeowners who want to learn about defensible space and home hardening for their home. The assessors make recommendations tailored to each home that can help improve its wildfire resiliency.

This year the Home Assessment Program is offered in Bonita, Crest, Dehesa, east Chula Vista, Fallbrook, and Spring Valley. To see if you are within the 2026 service area, check the interactive map below. For more information and to apply, go to https://firesafesdcounty.org/hap/

Defensible Space Assistance Program

For homeowners who received a home assessment but cannot physically or financially create the recommended defensible space improvements, the Fire Safe Council can assist with a day of work with a restoration crew from a partner organization, San Diego Canyonlands.

To see if you are within the 2026 service area, check the interactive map below. For more information and to see if you qualify go to https://firesafesdcounty.org/dsap/

Compliance Assistance Program

For homeowners who have been cited by their local fire protection district and are unable to meet that citation due to financial and physical barriers, the Fire Safe Council can help. This program accepts applicants from anywhere in the county who live in a "High" or "Very High" Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

To see if you are within a designated Fire Hazard Severity Zone, check the interactive map below. For more information and to see if you qualify go to https://firesafesdcounty.org/compliance/

Curbside Chipping

For homeowners who have cleared their 100 feet of defensible space and need a way to chip the cut material. Check if you are within the 2026 service on the interactive map below. For the specifications and guigelines of what material can and cannot be chipped, go to https://firesafesdcounty.org/chipping/