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Palo Alto audit finds strong wildfire preparedness but urges clearer outreach, plan updates
Summary
City auditorfound Palo Alto has robust wildfire prevention and response programs but recommended improvements on outreach, tracking inspections and formalizing agreements; committee approved audit and management largely agreed with recommendations.
The Policy & Services Committee on April 8 considered the Office of the City AuditorEmergency Preparedness: Wildfire Audit and voted to forward the audit to the full City Council with staff responses.
The audit, presented remotely by City Auditor Kate Murdock, examined whether the city is working to prevent wildfires and is adequately prepared to respond as part of its emergency management plan. Murdock said the audit assessed the city's efforts against guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and CAL FIRE.
Murdock said the review found that Palo Alto has "made significant investments" in prevention and mitigation, noting work begun in 2021 to underground distribution lines in high-risk Foothills wildland-urban interface areas and investments such as forward-looking infrared cameras and localized weather stations. She said the audit focused on prevention, protection and response and recommended improvements in several areas, including community outreach and follow-up on property inspection violations.
Nut graf: The audit praised existing emergency planning and coordination but identified gaps that could affect residents' ability to receive timely information and for staff to track corrective actions. Recommendations included finalizing urban forest and tree technical manuals, improving tracking and enforcement of property inspection violations, pursuing Firewise USA recognition for foothills neighborhoods, formalizing a multiyear contract with CAL FIRE where feasible, and documenting and coordinating a citywide wildfire education and outreach plan.
Committee discussion emphasized staffing, communication and mutual-aid tracking. Fire Chief Geo Blackshire told the committee that recent large wildfires statewide have shifted professional and public thinking from a discrete "fire season" to a year-round "fire calendar," and he said the key lesson is heightened "community awareness" and better resident notification. Chief Duker, Emergency Services, said the city controls its Emergency Operations Plan and that plan is being updated along with the Community Wildland Protection Plan; he said some county and regional plan updates were delayed by pandemic-era staffing shortages but are now underway.
Murdock highlighted audit findings on inspections: in 2023, 18 homes initially failed WUI property inspections, only three were reinspected, and 26 homes had outstanding violations at year's end. Management told the committee the city is implementing a new tracking system and working with IT for better reporting.
The audit also found that only an estimated 17% of Palo Alto residents were signed up for the county emergency alerting system in 2024 (up from about 15% in 2023), and recommended continued efforts to increase registrations. Staff described multiple notification pathways, including the county's AlertSCC opt-in system, statewide wireless emergency alerts (WEA), third-party apps and door-to-door or vehicle public-address notification as a last resort.
Management largely agreed with the audit recommendations. Assistant City Manager Kylene Osei told the committee the city had added additional contextual material to the staff report and that continued public engagement and planned council briefings will follow. Management "agreed" with the first four prevention recommendations and "partially agreed" with the last two (Firewise community and formal CAL FIRE contract), noting operational realities in contracting with CAL FIRE.
The committee moved to approve the audit report. The motion passed by roll call: Council Member Stone, yes; Council Member Liu, yes; Chair Vinkar, yes.
The audit report and supporting plans are available on the city's website; the auditor said the audit's study period ran through December 2024 and that some subsequent events occurred after the audit's snapshot period. The committee asked staff to pursue the audit's outreach and tracking recommendations and to return with updates as the city implements changes.
Ending: Staff and committee members said they expect additional public briefings and future agenda items on wildfire preparedness, including updates to the Emergency Operations Plan and community engagement work to increase alert system sign-ups.
