Contra Costa County Fire briefs Lafayette on updated hazard maps, evacuation planning and new detection tools

Contra Costa County Fire officials told the Lafayette City Council on March 24 that updated wildfire hazard maps released by Cal Fire and new modeling tools should change how local mitigation work is prioritized.

Assistant Chief (Contra Costa County Fire) summarized the county’s 2024 accomplishments, local call volume and how the department is preparing for fire season, and he outlined public steps residents should take now, including signing up for the county Community Warning System (CWS) and knowing their evacuation zone via the Genesis platform.

The presentation included three points city officials said matter most: (1) the state’s 2025 wildfire-hazard-severity maps now show very high, high and moderate classifications and cities must adopt map layers for local responsibility areas; (2) the county uses finer-grain fuel and flame-length models, plus structure-risk analysis, to prioritize mitigation projects beyond the map categories; and (3) new technology—ember-casting progression models and expanded aerial and camera detection systems—are being used to forecast fire spread and improve early response.

Why it matters: Lafayette residents face a mix…