The Villages recognized as first Firewise USA Community in San Jose, and largest in county!

On January 7, The Villages received the certificate of recognition from the Firewise USA organization, making The Villages the first in San Jose to receive this honor and the largest community in Santa Clara County. This remarkable achievement comes after years of dedication from our Boards, committees, organizations, Villagers, management, and the GM’s Office. What was once a dream has now become a reality.

For many, you will remember the beginning of this dream to be a community ever mindful and prepared—as prepared as can be—for natural disasters that threaten The Villages. In 2022 the Fire Safety Committee was formed, which led to Carol Rice, an outside consultant, being hired to assess every village for fire safety. Those reports and a culmination of hours of thoughtful conversations, in March, initiated the epic idea to become a Firewise Community. Collaboration between organizations such as CalFire and Santa Clara County FireSafe Council was instrumental to The Villages team who, early in the Firewise process, completed the organization’s preliminary risk assessments. In conjunction, hours of volunteer training took place and a broadening of the vision to Fire Aside Defensible Space Evaluations were conducted.

Through these years, incredible progress was made—yet we’re not done. The Firewise USA program continues for the next three years—and then will most likely be ongoing. Meeting all requirements of Firewise’s annual reviews ensures that The Villages will remain a Firewise Community. Although the program is rigid, holding the certificate of recognition brings immense pride and peace of mind, with the opportunity to ebb insurance costs to The Villages and individual homeowners.*

Thank you to all who brought us to this point, and to the entire Villages for being a part of moving us forward. Although being “firewise” is a relatively new mission for us, keeping The Villages safe has a 50-plus year heritage.

See Firewise Recognition certificate below.