Belvedere, Tiburon officials urge early evacuation, home hardening at wildfire-preparedness forum

Belvedere and Tiburon officials and county emergency staff urged Peninsula residents to prepare now for wildfire and to evacuate early if ordered, during a joint preparedness forum convened by the two mayors.

"When you get the word to evacuate, don't wait. Go," said Supervisor Stephanie Maltzaketer, who represents Southern Marin. The meeting emphasized practical steps residents can take at home and neighborhood levels to reduce risk and keep roads clear for emergency responders.

Local and county officials said the emphasis on preparation comes as Cal Fire has begun issuing updated fire severity maps, a state executive order is pushing finer guidance on the so‑called Zone 0 around homes, and a new round of building and fire-code changes is scheduled for adoption in 2025 and to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Chief of Police Jason Wouk of Belvedere, speaking to evacuation planning, listed three priorities for households: have a plan, assemble supplies and monitor warnings. "The trick to evacuation in my opinion is evacuate early. Don't wait until the crowd decide to leave at the same time," Wouk said. He and other presenters warned that Belvedere’s island geography and constricted access points make early action especially important for some neighborhoods.

Tiburon Fire prevention specialist Django "DJ" Heckler outlined home-hardening and defensible-space measures and defined the immediate "Zone 0" as a five-foot perimeter around a house: "The immediate zone or 0 zone is a 5 foot perimeter around your home," he said, adding that Zone 0 should be clear of vegetation, leaves and combustible debris. Heckler also described guidance for intermediate and extended zones, recommended limbing trees, using noncombustible ground cover nearest the structure, and trimming grass to about 3–4 inches in extended zones.

Officials recommended concrete steps and local resources: sign up for Alert Marin (the county's primary emergency-notification system); assemble a simple "go bag" and keep at least a half tank of gas; gather important documents together for quick evacuation; and practice two exit routes from every neighborhood. Lori Nielsen, Tiburon's director of emergency services, said, "Alert Marin is the one that's gonna come through your cell phone," and urged residents to register and to consult emergency.marincounty.org for updates.

Both fire districts described local programs to help residents reduce fuels. Tiburon Fire will run five chipper days from May through September (second Saturday each month) with the first scheduled for May 10; the district also offers home assessments and will inspect wildland‑urban interface parcels. Southern Marin Fire noted similar neighborhood-response programs, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, and home-assessment services that yield a digital report homeowners can use to track improvements.

Speakers discussed water and marine options for firefighting and evacuation. Battalion Chief Daniel Pinkston of Tiburon Fire said both Southern Marin and Tiburon operate fire boats and that crews can pump seawater from boats into engines if water mains fail: "Southern Marin has a fire boat and Tiburon has a fire boat. ... those are basically two big fire hydrants." Presenters said pressure in the distribution system is generally strong on main arteries after past upgrades, but that active firefighting and private sprinklers can reduce local pressure; one onstage estimate said a significant number of structures (roughly "somewhere between 10 and 50") drawing water could materially affect pressure in a given area.

County emergency manager Steven Torrance described county coordination: Alert Marin provides a single, countywide notification voice and the county maintains an emergency portal that posts maps, shelter and resource information. "We have one single source of notification for the entire county because... we want to have one voice," Torrance said. He and other speakers urged residents who get a middle‑of‑the‑night alert to evacuate first and confirm details later from trusted sources.

Officials also outlined recent and forthcoming regulatory and funding developments. Marshall Nao, deputy fire marshal for Southern Marin Fire, summarized the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) — referred to by speakers as Measure C — noting it provides substantial annual funds for fuels reduction, education, evacuation planning and alerting: "That brings in over $20,000,000 a year in tax measures," he said. Speakers said new Cal Fire hazard‑severity maps were released to local agencies recently and that the Board of Forestry is expected to issue guidance on Zone 0, which local jurisdictions will need to interpret and implement.

In a question-and-answer period, officials addressed homeowner concerns about nonnative trees (such as eucalyptus), open-space vegetation, insurance and evacuation routes. Fire officials advised removal or maintenance of ladder fuels before removing large trees, and noted that removal of standing dead trees can be expedited in some cases through local permitting. On insurance, local leaders said the state insurance commissioner and recent legislative proposals are seeking ways to require insurers to account for home hardening and mitigation measures, but that the field is in flux.

The forum closed with organizers promising to post a resource sheet and contacts on the town websites and in municipal newsletters; officials repeated core guidance: sign up for Alert Marin, clear Zone 0, consider home assessments and neighborhood preparedness programs, and evacuate early when ordered.