Socorro County Fire  Marshal

The Socorro County Fire Marshal is appointed by the Socorro Board of County Commissioners.

The Fire Marshal coordinates the several volunteer fire departments within Socorro County. 

These volunteer fire fighters are your friends and neighbors. Those departments include:

Abeytas Volunteer Fire Department

Hop Canyon Volunteer Fire Department

Midway Volunteer Fire Department

San Antonio Volunteer Fire Department 

Luis Lopez Fire Station

Bosquecito Substation

Firewise is a nationally recognized program that shows homeowners what they can do to increase their chances of surviving a wildfire. 

The Socorro County Fire Marshal's office works with individuals and communities to help them make their homes Firewise.

Being Firewise

Firewise is a nationally recognized program that helps communities and:

• Creates defensible space that prevents fires from advancing and endangering home and lives.

• Improves property value while reducing risk of loss.

• Improves community relationships with local fire staff, since firefighters can concentrate their efforts on fighting wildfires rather than devoting often limited resources to protecting homes- which may ultimately be lost if the fire can’t be contained.

• Encourages good neighbors, since the more homes within a community that adopt “Firewise” practices, the greater the impact on reducing the heat and spread of fire.

• Offers peace of mind, knowing that your home is prepared to survive a wildfire in the event one should occur.

When a wildfire is approaching, firefighters have no choice but to drive right past homes that cannot be saved, and put their resources into defending homes that can be saved.

The Socorro County Fire Marshal and local fire departments will be presenting a series of wildfire preparedness community workshops in various communities around the county. 

They are designed to help people reduce the risk from wildfire before a fire starts.

You can make your home defensible, but not at the last minute. Come to a workshop and learn about fire behavior, and about FireWise construction, maintenance, and landscaping techniques.

Firewise Workshop Days

The Socorro County Fire Marshal and local fire departments present wildfire preparedness community workshops in various communities around the county. 

The workshops are designed to help people reduce the risk from wildfire before a fire starts.

You can make your home defensible, but not at the last minute. Come to a workshop and learn about fire behavior, and about FireWise construction, maintenance, and landscaping techniques.

Chief Richard Sylvestre is in charge of the combined Abeytas-Veguita district.

The North County Fire District runs from west of Interstate 25 to the Rio Grande on the east, and is bounded on the north by the county line, on the south mainly by US Route 60. 

Training and Maintenance Meetings are second and fourth Saturdays at 9 AM.

There are two stations, both on NM Route 116: the Abeytas station is near mile 4; the Sabinal station is near mile 8.

The district covers Hop Canyon and Paterson Canyon.

Meetings/training/maintenance are on the first and third Mondays  of each month at 1600 hours.