The San José del Cabo Fire Department will send its wildfire brigade to a binational training exercise led by California’s CAL FIRE in Ensenada from May 15 to 21. Fire Commander Omar Barreras Núñez confirmed the department’s participation after a planning meeting held in San Diego with representatives from both countries.
The weeklong drill will simulate large-scale wildfire scenarios and establish international activation protocols for cross-border emergency response. Practice zones and logistics were defined during the San Diego meeting, which brought together agencies from across Baja California and Southern California.
Agencies From Both Sides of the Border
On the Mexican side, participants include CONAFOR (the National Forestry Commission), Baja California’s State Civil Protection office, the Northwest Regional Fire Management Center, and fire departments from Rosarito, Tijuana, Mexicali, and Tecate. U.S. participants include CAL FIRE, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana.
San José del Cabo is the only agency from Baja California Sur on the roster. The department sits roughly 1,000 miles south of Ensenada, making its inclusion notable among the otherwise northern Baja and California participants.
Los Cabos Brigade Equipped for Extended Deployment
The San José del Cabo wildfire brigade is equipped for self-sufficient field operations lasting up to seven days. It can deploy within 24 hours and carries a Type 6 rapid attack unit along with portable water tanks. The department has about 80 active firefighters and paramedics on its rolls.
The partnership between Los Cabos and CAL FIRE has been building for months. In February, Barreras Núñez met with CAL FIRE operations chief Tony Mecham during the 2026 National Wildfire Meeting in Baja California. That meeting focused on strengthening international coordination for wildfire prevention and response. The San José del Cabo brigade also supported multi-agency operations in Tecate earlier in 2025, giving it field experience in cross-jurisdictional wildfire coordination.
What the Drill Means for Fire Season
The May exercise comes ahead of the traditional wildfire season that peaks in summer and fall across both Californias. Baja California experienced severe fires near Tecate and Ensenada in recent years, and Southern California’s fire risk remains high year-round. The drill aims to test how quickly Mexican and American crews can coordinate when fires cross the international border or overwhelm a single jurisdiction.
This story was first reported by the Los Cabos municipal government at loscabos.gob.mx and by La Polaca BCS.