The Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County has announced that West Bonny Doon Road in Bonny Doon has been officially recognized as the 100th Firewise USA community in the county.
This milestone marks a major achievement in wildfire preparedness and community resilience, making Santa Cruz County a national leader—currently ranking third in the nation for the number of Firewise USA Recognized communities.
The newly recognized West Bonny Doon Road Firewise community includes 34 homes in a neighborhood committed to reducing wildfire risks through fuel reduction, home hardening and community action. With this latest recognition, Santa Cruz County’s Firewise network now represents nearly 7,500 homes across 100 communities.
The Firewise USA program, administered by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), encourages residents to work together to prepare their properties and neighborhoods for the threat of wildfire.
“This is truly a team effort,” said Lynn Sestak, County Firewise Coordinator. “Reaching our 100th community is a reflection of all the hard work our neighborhoods have put in over the years. I’m so proud of our residents, our county’s leadership, and the partnerships that have made us a national leader in wildfire preparedness.”
Santa Cruz County’s Firewise journey began in 2019 with just five Firewise USA Recognized communities. In only six years, that number has grown twenty-fold—thanks to dedicated neighbors, community leaders, support from local Fire Chiefs and the passionate outreach of local advocates like “Firewise Evangelists” Sally Mack, Lindsay Speth and Tina Castle, whose on-the-ground work has inspired participation countywide.
Residents and community members can explore all Firewise USA Recognized neighborhoods in the county using the Santa Cruz County Firewise Map Viewer—maintained by Lynn Sestak with GIS mapping support from the County of Santa Cruz’s OR3 Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience—at tinyurl.com/FirewiseSCCmap.
