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New Cal Fire hazard maps drive Lafayette to press ConFire for local data, public outreach
Summary
Councilmembers used a March 7 workshop to review new state/ConFire wildfire hazard maps released Feb. 24, ask staff to gather local data and to coordinate public information and targeted town halls with Contra Costa Fire (ConFire) and utilities.
Lafayette councilmembers spent a major portion of a March 7 special meeting discussing new wildland fire hazard maps released by state agencies and Contra Costa Fire. Staff told the council the maps were posted Feb. 24 and are open for public comment; ConFire must transmit its updated map and related ordinance within 120 days.
Staff summarized the mapping methodology, which models ember/brand dispersal from wildland areas and uses vegetation and slope data to estimate wildfire hazard. Councilmembers and staff expressed concerns that the model emphasizes wildland fuels and ember travel and does not appear to incorporate utility and transmission‑line risk, local built environment fuel loading (housing and structures), or local water‑supply/pumping capacity.
Andy Conley, the city's new emergency preparedness coordinator, and city staff said they are posting FAQs and links to ConFire and Cal Fire materials on the city website and encouraging residents to file comments through ConFire’s public portal. The council directed staff to prepare a short list of technical questions for ConFire and Cal Fire (for example: whether urban fuel loads and utility risks were included, and how worst‑case wind scenarios were selected) and to request a public ConFire forum where residents can ask questions.
Councilmembers urged the city to gather local data in parallel — such as detailed evacuation timing for single‑ingress neighborhoods, water storage and pump capacity with East Bay Municipal Utility District, and a review of transmission and distribution utility maintenance practices — so Lafayette can submit informed comments if it chooses to challenge or request revisions to the maps. Several councilmembers said the city should work with neighboring Moraga and Orinda to coordinate any regional legislative or regulatory advocacy.
Staff said ConFire had advised that changes to the map would require substantial technical evidence and urged residents and the council to focus on specific, documented facts when submitting comments.
The council asked staff to return with a short draft comment for council review after the ConFire presentation scheduled for March 24, and to coordinate a resident‑focused outreach plan with ConFire and utility partners that will include town halls and neighborhood events to explain evacuation planning and defensible‑space expectations.
No formal action was taken; the council's guidance was advisory to staff.
