The images of miles and miles of obliterated homes and stories of the dead and missing in the fires that rage in Los Angeles County are graphic reminders of how wildfires can blaze through a community and the importance of preparedness, Orange County leaders are emphasizing.
In the wake of the loss seen in the Palisades and Eaton fires, local fire chiefs, police, city council members, city officials and volunteer groups are looking at what more they can do to reduce fire risks in their communities.
San Clemente Mayor Steve Knoblock got his council colleagues to support his proposal to organize a citizen brigade to help in the event of emergencies and back up fire and police if necessary.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, an initial team of volunteers cut away brush in some of San Clemente’s most vulnerable areas using power saws and other equipment donated by local businesses.
“We need to be proactive and have volunteers involved,” Knoblock said, adding the brigade will be called Secure Our Canyons and Community. “It’s a two-pronged approach for any local emergency that would back up the Fire Department and the police if needed.”
Knoblock said he also checked with the staff to make sure the city’s water reservoirs were filled to capacity. And, he said he requested a lake in the Bella Colina Golf Course be filled in case more water is needed.
In neighboring Dana Point, City Manager Mike Killebrew emphasized that emergency preparedness is always “top of mind.”
“It’s a key tenet of the city’s strategic plan, so much so that we eliminated contracting for emergency services management, and this past year, the council approved adding an emergency services coordinator position,” Killebrew said.
The person reports to him weekly and runs practice scenarios with city staff. Emergency plans are updated routinely with an eye to what is happening regionally to ensure best practices are being met and what could be updated or improved, he said.
In Laguna Beach, officials held a public forum featuring the city’s fire chief, police chief, mayor and city manager, as well as Laguna Beach Water District General Manager Keith Van Der Maaten, to discuss the city’s preparedness and next steps with community members.
Van Der Maaten talked about the recent water issues firefighters encountered in their battle with the Palisades and Eaton fires, also an issue in Laguna Beach’s devasting 1993 fires. There has been a focus locally, he said, on adding reservoirs and access to water. There has been 8 million gallons of water storage added and two facilities known as heli-hydrants, where firefighting helicopters can quickly tank up, were installed around town in 2022.
There are now heli-hydrants or similar helopods in several Orange County communities, the latest unveiled in November in Aliso Viejo.
Laguna Beach Fire Chief Niko King said evacuation routes in the city have been more formalized and more ways added to communicate alerts to residents, including an outdoor warning system that, for some residents, can be heard by simply stepping outside and then listening to instructions.The council also recently approved staffing for three more firefighters.
King also stressed the importance of clearing vegetation away from homes and other structures.
Anaheim city officials have used the moment to emphasize that residents, especially in the fire-prone Anaheim Hills, need to know their evacuation plan and route in the event of an emergency.
Parts of the Anaheim Hills are in what the state considers a very high fire hazard severity zone.
Anaheim Fire Chief Pat Russell at the city’s Jan. 14 council meeting spoke about being prepared in light of the Los Angeles County fires, asking that people evacuate early when the threat arises.
Russell said while he can’t speak to the current conversations around Los Angeles’s water systems, where fire hydrants ran dry and the Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty, “I can assure you … large evaluations are done on our water-delivery system.”
The most recent destructive wildfire in the Hills was the Canyon 2 Fire in October 2017. It burned 9,217 acres, destroyed 14 homes and damaged another 44, sparking when a Santa Ana wind event had gusts reaching over 50 mph.
City spokesperson Mike Lyster said the city has brush cleared in sensitive areas of the Hills. He added that the city is also exploring creating brush clearance hand crews within its fire department, though it already has a partnership with Cal Fire and the California Conservation Corps for those services.
In Newport Beach, the city uses Artificial Intelligence cameras to enhance early detection. More of them are on the way, said James Gillespie, fire marshall for the Newport Beach Fire Department.
“Our goal is to empower our neighborhoods to become Firewise USA designated,” he said.
Firewise USA is a free, voluntary program from the National Fire Protection Association that helps neighbors work together to reduce the risk of wildfires in their communities.
The Newport Beach Fire Department provides resources and guidance to help communities achieve this designation and supports individual homeowners in obtaining the Wildfire Prepared Home designation through the Institute for Business and Home Safety.
“By providing tools for home hardening and effective mitigation,” Gillespie said, “we’re equipping our community to reduce wildfire threats together.”
