CAL FIRE's Land Use Planning Program Assists local governments (cities and counties) throughout California as they address the unreasonable risk from wildfire by planning for new development in the State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.


Mission Statement

The Wildfire Hazard Legislation Safety Element Planning and Zoning Law requires that cities and counties adopt a comprehensive general plan with various elements including a safety element for protection of the community from unreasonable risks associated with various hazards, including wildfires (CGC 65302.5)  CAL FIRE has a long history of knowing the importance of planning and its importance to wildland fire safety and risk mitigation. Land use planning incorporates safety element requirements for State Responsibility Areas (SRA) and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHS Zones); requires local general plan safety elements, upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2014, to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire in the SRA and VHFHS Zones; requires each safety element update to take into account the most recent version of the Office of Planning and Research's "Fire Hazard Planning" document; and requires the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to include a reference to the provisions of SB 1241 (Kehoe, 2012), as well as any other materials related to fire hazards or fire safety deemed appropriate for reference.

Statewide Program Administrator

Carmel Barnhart - Deputy Chief Carmel.Barnhart@fire.ca.gov

Sacramento Contacts

Rudy Baltazar- Assistant Chief
Rudy.Baltazar@fire.ca.gov

Shelley Redden- Battalion Chief Shelley.Redden@fire.ca.gov

Gene Potkey- Battalion Chief
Gene.Potkey@fire.ca.gov

Steven Barkley - Battalion Chief Steven.Barkley@fire.ca.gov

Kevin Lindo - Battalion Chief Kevin.Lindo@fire.ca.gov

Shane Galvez - Battalion Chief Shane.Galvez@fire.ca.gov

Bryan Carter - Battalion Chief Bryan.Carter@fire.ca.gov

Anthony Massucco - Battalion Chief Anthony.Massucco@fire.ca.gov

Northern Region Contacts

Shane Vargas - Battalion Chief
Shane.Vargas@fire.ca.gov
(530) 410-4225

James Ausboe - Fire Captain
James.Ausboe@fire.ca.gov
(530)-410-5592
Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Shasta, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Lake, Butte, Modoc, Lassen, & Plumas

Donnie Privett - Fire Captain
Donnie.Privett@fire.ca.gov
(530)-410-5142
Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Yolo, Solano, Sutter, Yuba, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Sacramento, Amador, Alpine, & San Joaquin

Malcolm Kennedy - Fire Captain Malcolm.Kennedy@fire.ca.gov(530)-360-5291
San Francisco, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Cruz, & Santa Clara

Southern Region Contacts

Jose Quintana - Battalion Chief Jose.Quintana@fire.ca.gov
(559) 243-8992 Office
(951) 201-9918 Cell
 

Kyle O'Neil - Fire Captain
Kyle.Oneil@fire.ca.gov
(559) 243-8993 Office
(559) 400-2464 Cell
Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern, Monterey, San Benito, San Joaquin

Brian Olsen- Fire Captain Brian.Olsen@fire.ca.gov
(951) 320-6122 Office
(951) 235-1257 Cell
San Diego, Imperial

Joe Kennedy-Fire Captain    Joseph.Kennedy@fire.ca.gov
(951)-233-7426
San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono

Kevin Merkh - Fire Captain Kevin.Merkh@fire.ca.gov
(951)-201-1824
Los Angeles

Shawn Arnold - Fire Captain Shawn.Arnold@fire.ca.gov  (909)-677-3408                San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura