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Newport Beach officials outline wildfire preparedness and water-system redundancy
Summary
Fire and utilities officials told the City Council the city is staffed for mutual-aid deployments, running proactive inspections and homeowner outreach, and maintains multiple water sources and backups to support drinking water and firefighting needs.
Fire Chief Jeff Boyles and city staff told the City of Newport Beach City Council on Jan. 14 that the city is actively maintaining wildfire preparedness while supporting mutual-aid deployments to Los Angeles-area fires and that the water system has multiple redundancies to sustain firefighting and drinking-water needs.
The update came amid questions from council members and public interest after recent large wildfires elsewhere in Southern California. “Newport Beach remains fully staffed with robust automatic and mutual aid,” Fire Chief Jeff Boyles said, noting engine companies and battalion chiefs deployed to assist neighboring jurisdictions.
Why it matters: council members pressed for details because many Newport Beach neighborhoods sit in elevated fire-risk zones and because water availability and fire-flow capacity are central to both public safety and residents’ insurance coverage.
City fire marshal James Gillespie described the city’s vegetation- and defensible-space work, saying the city conducts recurring inspections and has used state grant funds to improve defensible space in Buck Gully in partnership with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy and Cal Fire. Gillespie said the department has provided more than 170 free homeowner assessments since 2024 to advise on home hardening and defensible space, and that staff work to help neighborhoods achieve Firewise USA recognition. “We provide support to become a wildfire-prepared home through IBHS,” Gillespie said, referring to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety program.
Utilities Director Mark Lukovich described the city’s water system as built around three sources — groundwater, Metropolitan Water District imports, and emergency connections with neighboring agencies — and a reservoir network he said can support extended operations. “It’s drinking water and fire water. We are crystal clear on what we are to provide,” Lukovich said, adding the central Big Canyon reservoir “typically holds a hundred million gallons” and that the city has installed backup generators at pumping stations and tested fire hydrants annually.
Officials described other preparedness measures: use of AI smoke-detection cameras in canyons (installed in partnership with UC San Diego), annual hydrant testing and operation, staff cross-training, and regular coordination among utilities, public works and fire. Boyles said some firefighting personnel from Newport Beach have been assigned to strike teams in Los Angeles County, and the city rotated crews to sustain deployments.
Council members praised the work and urged expansion of outreach beyond areas already prioritized for fuel management. Councilmember [first referenced as] (Councilmember) said she wanted more of the city’s neighborhoods included in community mitigation efforts rather than concentrating only in Newport Coast.
Ending: Officials did not propose new citywide mandatory requirements at the meeting; they emphasized available voluntary services, grant-supported projects and mutual-aid capacity. Staff said they would continue to answer neighborhood-specific questions and urged residents to use the city’s online resources to request assessments or more information.
