City agencies outline wildfire readiness: three keys — ready, defensible space, home hardening

Captain Eric Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department told Angelenos the city’s approach to wildfire readiness rests on three basic precepts: learn the Ready, Set, Go program; create defensible space through brush clearance; and harden homes against ember intrusion.

The message came during a multi-agency briefing at a City of Los Angeles session that included Sergeant Eric Lee of the Los Angeles Police Department, Jennifer Lazo of the Emergency Management Department (EMD) and David Barrett of My Safe LA. Officials described specific steps residents should take before, during and after a wildfire and how the city coordinates alerts and evacuations.

Why it matters: Officials said wind-driven fires pose the greatest risk because winds carry embers ahead of the main flame front, igniting houses and vegetation. Coordinated preparedness — neighborhood planning, rapid alerting and basic property maintenance — increases the chance firefighters can defend structures and speeds evacuations when orders are issued.

Fire precautions and homeowner actions

"There’s three basic keys to success," Captain Eric Scott said. He and other presenters recommended residents maintain a go kit with essentials, keep vehicles off narrow streets during red-flag warnings, and prepare animals and family members who need extra time to evacuate.

Scott and David Barrett emphasized brush clearance and home hardening as practical steps that materially reduce fire risk. Scott described defensible-space basics: reduce ground fuels to about 3 inches, trim the lower third of shrubs and clear the bottom 6 feet of tree branches near structures. He added that rooflines are especially vulnerable to embers and urged residents to keep gutters and roof perimeters clear.

Neighborhood and animal planning

Sergeant Eric Lee of the LAPD urged neighbors to know one another and to identify residents who may need help leaving during evacuations: "We need to know which ones might need some extra help in preparing." He also urged compliance with no-parking rules on narrow streets during red-flag warnings so fire apparatus can pass.

Barrett and Lazo encouraged homeowners associations and neighborhood groups to organize ongoing preparedness efforts, not just one-time cleanups. Barrett said such regular organization helps overcome public apathy in years with fewer fires and positions communities to act when conditions change rapidly.

Alerting and city coordination

Jennifer Lazo described NotifyLA, the city’s alerting platform, and urged Angelenos to register addresses they care about (home, school, relatives) and preferred delivery methods (text, phone, email). She also explained the federal Wireless Emergency Alert system, which can deliver messages to phones within a defined geographic shape.

"We’ll send a 'shake and shout' alert to let people know something is happening," Lazo said, describing the layered alerts: an initial warning, an evacuation warning and a mandatory evacuation order. She asked residents to check phone settings to ensure they receive public safety alerts.

How the city operates during a major incident

Lazo described the emergency operations center (EOC) activation levels and said the EOC becomes a centralized coordination hub when incidents exceed normal departmental capacity. The EOC can operate at different levels — from planned-event coordination to full activations involving dozens of staff — to manage resources, notifications and sheltering.

Local guidance, resources and next steps

Officials directed Angelenos to lafd.org/wildfire for guidance on defensible space and home hardening, to emergency.lacity.org to sign up for NotifyLA and to mysafela.org for neighborhood preparedness resources. The presenters also encouraged residents to prepare now — while risk is lower — so they are ready when red-flag conditions return.

Ending

Officials said the most important steps are to know your neighborhood, have a plan for people and animals, sign up for alerts, and treat wildfire preparation like any other routine safety drill. "The more the merrier, especially when it comes to life-saving information," Captain Scott said.