Eleven firefighters from San José del Cabo’s fire department traveled to Ensenada this month for a binational wildfire training exercise led by California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as CAL FIRE. The weeklong program runs May 15 through 21 and includes both classroom instruction and field drills.
Commander Omar Barreras Núñez of the San José del Cabo Fire Department confirmed the deployment. The training culminates in a large-scale simulation exercise designed to align Mexican first responders with international urban-wildland interface firefighting protocols.
Multiple Agencies Join the Exercise
The Ensenada exercise brings together fire agencies from across Baja California. Participating organizations include the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), the Baja California State Civil Protection Agency, and the Northwest Regional Fire Management Center. Fire departments from Rosarito, Tijuana, Mexicali, and Tecate are also taking part alongside the San José del Cabo crew.
The training covers wildfire suppression tactics used on both sides of the border. Practical sessions focus on terrain-specific strategies for the dry, brush-heavy landscapes common across Baja California and Southern California.
Building on 2025 Tecate Deployment
The San José del Cabo brigade earned its spot in the program partly through experience gained during a mutual-aid deployment to Tecate in 2025. That deployment, during active wildfires in the border region, gave the southern Baja team direct field experience working alongside northern Baja and California crews. Officials said that earlier collaboration strengthened the brigade’s integration into this year’s binational exercises.
For Los Cabos, the training is part of a broader municipal effort to professionalize rural fire response before summer. The Baja California Sur peninsula faces increasing fire risk during the hot, dry months from June through October, when brush fires can threaten both wildland areas and residential developments on the outskirts of San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
Local Fire Coverage Unaffected
Municipal officials confirmed that fire service in Los Cabos will operate normally while the 11 firefighters are in Ensenada. The Patronato de Bomberos, a civilian support organization for the fire department, and the Los Cabos municipal government provided logistical and financial support for the trip, covering transportation and supplies for the week.
The partnership between CAL FIRE and Baja California fire agencies has deep roots. Cross-border firefighting cooperation in the region dates back to the late 1990s, with organizations like Firefighters Crossing Borders facilitating training exchanges in Tecate and Tijuana for over two decades.
This story was first reported by the Los Cabos municipal government at loscabos.gob.mx.