SJW Expands Community Wildfire Resiliency with New $185,000 Grant to Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

The grant will support Call of the Wild and Chemeketa Park, CAL FIRE-designated very high fire severity zone neighborhoods to reduce wildfire risk.

SARATOGA, Calif. - August 14, 2025—The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council (SCCFSC) announced today it has been awarded a new grant from San Jose Water to spearhead wildfire resilience projects in the Call of the Wild and Chemeketa Park communities. These communities are in areas designated as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) in the most recent CAL FIRE FHSZ mapping released earlier this year, and border San Jose Water’s critical source protection areas in the Los Gatos Creek Watershed. This most recent grant to Santa Clara County FireSafe Council broadens San Jose Water’s investment in community level wildfire resilience and efforts to mitigate wildfire risk to communities served by the water utility.

The funding includes the procurement and installation of five new N5 Sensors, AI enabled wildfire smoke detection systems in the Call of the Wild neighborhood, along with projects that support resiliency efforts in both Chemeketa Park and Call of the Wild. These include installing improved roadway signage throughout the neighborhoods to assist emergency vehicles, evacuees, and large trucks to effectively navigate neighborhood roadways, and creating a reusable banner series to educate the community about wildfire resilience.

San Jose Water’s Manager of Environmental Planning, Jared Lewis noted, “San Jose Water’s community-level wildfire resilience investments not only enhance wildfire resilience in local communities but the resilience of our water system and supply. Our partnership with the Santa Clara County Firesafe Council extends our ability to reach these at-risk communities and build enduring partnerships with communities that support shared wildfire resilience goals.”

According to Seth Schalet, CEO of Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, “This new funding is an expansion of our partnership with San Jose Water and the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) communities, which are in service areas that are challenged with ingress/egress considerations in CAL FIRE-designated High and Very High Fire Severity Zones.  Through a combination of technology investments, hazardous fuel reduction projects and community engagement, we share San Jose Water’s commitment to wildfire resiliency. Amanda Brenner Canon, Program Director with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, will oversee these projects.”

About San Jose Water:

Founded in 1866, San Jose Water is a regulated private utility and is one of the largest and most technically sophisticated urban water systems in the United States. The company serves over one million people in the greater San Jose metropolitan area. San Jose Water is owned by H2O America, a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ under the symbol HTO. H2O America also owns: Connecticut Water Company in Connecticut; Maine Water Company in Maine; and Texas Water Company in Texas. To learn more about San Jose Water, visit: sjwater.com.

About Santa Clara County FireSafe Council:

As a 501 (c)3 nonprofit with a 20-year history, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council’s core mission is to mobilize the people of Santa Clara County to protect their homes, communities, and environment from wildfires. As a trusted partner across the government, fire service, corporate and WUI residential communities, SCCFSC has led some of the most complex hazardous fuel reduction projects in the region. With a board and advisory council that has a deep expertise across the wildfire ecosystem including wildfire and environmental research, academia, emergency management, regional planning, technology products and wildland firefighting leadership, Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is uniquely positioned to lead cross-sector collaborations, government-private partnerships in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County and beyond. For more information, visit www.sccfiresafe.org

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

14380 Saratoga Ave Saratoga, CA 95070

Phone: (408) 975-9591

Website: www.sccfiresafe.org