Santa Fe County Fire Department expands wildfire mitigation education with traveling ‘one‑stop’ community events

Santa Fe County Fire Department officials said they have staged a series of wildfire mitigation education days to give residents centralized access to wildfire preparedness resources and to push practical steps homeowners can take to reduce risk.

The events, described by Ignacio Lamingas, administrative services manager for the Santa Fe County Fire Department, were intended to “get all of the players involved under one roof” so residents can get answers and referrals without being bounced between offices. Lamingas said the county has held a larger central meeting and several smaller, traveling sessions in different commissioner districts to reach residents who could not attend the larger event.

The county framed the sessions as a “one‑stop shop” for information about defensible space, addressing and signage for county roads, evacuation zones, and registration for Smart 9‑1‑1 and Alert Santa Fe. “If we can cut 10 seconds off of every step of the process and you can save several minutes,” Lamingas said, “we’ve got our public works department here, our GIS network here. They can help with addressing, making sure you got appropriate signage.”

Officials emphasized three recurring takeaways. First, modern house fires burn faster: officials cited the National Fire Protection Association guidance that people typically have about two minutes or less to escape in many modern homes. Second, creating defensible space around a residence can reduce the chance a fire will reach the structure; the department summarized that the closest few feet should be kept clear, with progressively sparser vegetation out to roughly 30 feet. Third, preparedness includes personal planning—kits, prescriptions and important documents—because evacuations can force residents to leave with little more than a plastic bag, an effect the speakers said they observed during the Hermits Peak Fire.

The department is offering on‑site property assessments by trained wildland personnel. Ignacio Lamingas said residents can schedule appointments for a wildland team member to inspect a property, provide a written “prescription” of actions to create defensible space and then receive a certificate from the county when the prescription is met. Lamingas cautioned the certificate is “not a guarantee” of insurance coverage but can be used by homeowners when working with insurers.

Officials also promoted Smart 9‑1‑1, which the department said is the national platform underpinning the county’s Alert Santa Fe emergency notification program. Lamingas said residents who create Smart 9‑1‑1 profiles can include household members, pets, pictures and medical or access‑and‑functional‑needs information so that 9‑1‑1 call takers and first responders have critical details immediately.

Upcoming education days named on the program include the Nambe Community Center on May 31 from 10 a.m. to noon and Hondo Fire Station 2 on June 7 from 10 a.m. to noon. County staff said smaller, district‑level sessions will continue so residents who missed larger events can obtain the same information locally.

Officials asked residents to use the county’s property assessment request process (currently by phone while an online form is being implemented) to schedule inspections and to register for Smart 9‑1‑1 through the Alert Santa Fe portal.

The program combines local wildland teams, the county’s public works and GIS services, dispatch, the city wildland team, Office of Emergency Management and other agencies to present unified information, department officials said. Lamingas said the events are designed to be nonpunitive: the assessments provide guidance and a certificate when work is completed, rather than fines or enforcement.

For more information, county officials directed residents to Alert Santa Fe/Smart 9‑1‑1 and to sign up for dates and property assessments through the Santa Fe County Fire Department.