Villa Park seminar outlines steps residents can take before earthquakes, wildfires, floods and power shutoffs

Villa Park city officials hosted a public disaster-preparedness seminar featuring Orange County Fire Authority educators, Serrano Water District directors and the county's water emergency coordinator to review what residents can do to prepare for earthquakes, wildfires, floods and planned power shutoffs.

Speakers said the goals were practical: reduce harm to people and property, maintain water service for firefighting and households, and ensure residents receive timely alerts. Orange County Fire Authority educator Dean Belch described steps homeowners can take to harden houses against embers and trim vegetation; Serrano Water District board member Robbie Pitts and General Manager Jerry Vielander outlined how the water system maintains service during outages; and Gabby Landeiro of the Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County (WE ROC) explained the countywide information-sharing and notification systems.

Belch told attendees that many people do not feel ready: he cited survey results showing roughly 41% of people say they are unprepared for a major disaster. He described OCFA as a regional service that covers Villa Park and 22 other cities, serving roughly 2,000,000 residents from 78 fire stations and using resources such as helicopters, drones and heavy-rescue units. Belch urged residents to follow the agency's Ready, Set, Go guidance and to accept OCFA's free home assessment, which he described as a nonpunitive visit that will recommend ways to reduce wildfire risk.

Speakers emphasized wildfire ember risk and home hardening. Presentations and videos noted that embers — burning material carried by wind — are the primary cause of many home ignitions and can travel miles ahead of a fire front; Belch and a preparedness video advised clearing combustible material, creating a defensible zone around homes, and securing large indoor items against earthquake motion. The OCFA materials encourage early evacuation when ordered and cautioned homeowners against running water from hoses during a wildfire because doing so can reduce system pressure needed for firefighting.

On water and infrastructure, Serrano Water District officials described routine preparedness measures: valve maintenance to allow isolation of main breaks, semiannual testing of emergency generators through contract services, inventory of spare parts, and mutual‑aid arrangements through WE ROC and neighboring agencies (including staged water resources such as Irvine Lake). Jerry Vielander said the district maintains emergency interconnections with nearby suppliers so Villa Park customers retain service when the outage is localized; he also explained that a fully regional disaster could require broader mutual aid. The district’s emergency contact number provided in the presentation is (714) 538-0079.

WE ROC coordinator Gabby Landeiro urged residents to sign up for Alert OC — Orange County’s mass emergency-notification system — and to remain connected to their local water agency for official advisories about water safety and distribution points following outages. Landeiro recommended fixing household leaks, using fire- and drought‑resistant landscaping, keeping at least one gallon of water per person per day (the OCFA presentation suggested a 3-day kit while WE ROC noted emergency planners often aim for two weeks of supplies), and reporting unusual water appearance or odors to the water district for testing.

City of Villa Park officials used the seminar to remind residents about practical steps tied to other regional risks: Southern California Edison planned power‑shutdown events (PSPS) make having backup power, flashlights, and the SCE Medical Baseline or customer-preference contact information important; the city also highlighted its hazard-mitigation plan and said it is updating online disaster-information pages to be more user friendly (for example, with a pets tab). The mayor’s office announced a second seminar in the series, focused on what to expect during and after a disaster, and closed the presentation with a question-and-answer session for attendees.

The presenters repeatedly separated discussion and recommended actions from formal authority: speakers advised following official evacuation orders, signing up for Alert OC and Watch Duty (for wildfire tracking), and contacting Serrano Water District for verified information on water safety. No formal votes or policy adoptions occurred at the event.

For residents: OCFA’s Ready, Set, Go information is at ocfa.org/ready-set-go; sandbags are available for self-filling at station locations including OCFA Station 23 in Villa Park; Serrano Water District’s emergency line is (714) 538-0079; and Alert OC registration is managed by the Orange County Sheriff’s emergency-notification office.