Encinitas commission presents wildfire-preparedness survey; residents cite unclear evacuation routes, alert gaps and resource concerns

At its March 31 meeting the Encinitas Public Health and Safety Commission heard results from a community workshop and a city survey on wildfire preparedness that staff said highlight widespread concern about evacuation planning, emergency alerts, and local fire resources.

City staff and the fire department described outreach that produced 30 workshop attendees, 146 workshop comments and 125 completed survey responses. "It was a lot of work to set up the workshop and then also, collect all this information," said Josh, a city staff member who presented the results. "We did a lot in a couple weeks of promoting this," said Chief Gordon of the Encinitas Fire Department during the presentation.

The survey and workshop responses were summarized into eight core themes, staff said: emergency alerts and public outreach, evacuation and emergency planning, emergency response/fire service resources, neighborhood preparedness, app and website awareness, home and property preparedness, law enforcement and resource concerns, and immediate actions residents want prioritized.

Key findings reported by staff included: 125 survey responses and 30 workshop attendees; respondents skewed toward older households (a plurality reported ages 65 and older); 37% reported text alerts as their primary source of emergency information; 29% identified “unclear evacuation plans” as a top preparedness challenge; 12% cited difficulties evacuating pets and small animals; and 80% of respondents said their neighborhood was not prepared for a wildfire or major emergency. Staff also reported that 64% of respondents said there were adequate firefighter personnel or equipment in Encinitas, while 35% said resources were insufficient.

Staff listed repeated resident suggestions: more tailored opt-in or localized text alerts, clearer evacuation signage and drills, re-engaging neighborhood Fire Safe Councils and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) programs, more direct mail and non-digital outreach for seniors and non‑tech users, and resources to assist homeowners with defensible‑space work. Marie, the city’s emergency manager, noted outreach included Spanish translations, distribution via the city website and social media, flyers at city facilities, promotion through the school district via Peachjar, and an email push to 49 homeowners associations and one local Fire Safe Council mailing list.

Public commenters at the meeting raised related local concerns. Karen Kaden described a development called Piraeus Point and urged the city to seek undergrounding of utilities and to clarify egress from that project’s streets. Dennis Kaden and other speakers asked whether the city’s code enforcement or fire department should be contacted about privately owned parcels with dry vegetation. Karen Koblenitz and other residents urged extra attention to seniors and other vulnerable populations in future outreach and planning.

Commission discussion underscored similar themes that appeared in the survey: evacuation bottlenecks on narrow or legacy roads, concerns about one‑way‑in/one‑way‑out neighborhoods (Olivenhain/"Levenheim" was repeatedly cited in the workshop and public comments), effects of recent development on capacity, and requests to examine the placement and staffing of local fire stations (Station 1 and Station 6 were mentioned frequently).

Staff proposed next steps and a timeline: commissioners accepted the presentation and staff said they will perform a gap analysis and return April 14 with recommended actions and associated resource and budget estimates to inform the fiscal year 2025–26 budget cycle and to support any recommendations to the City Council. "We will look at how we can present to you what we're doing well to mitigate some of these concerns, what gaps we have, and what we would need as far as resources or money," staff said.

The presentation materials and a spreadsheet of raw comments were made available to commissioners; staff acknowledged the survey’s limited time frame and sample size and said the response leaned toward Olivenhain residents (about 35% of respondents) and older adults, which they expect may bias the results. Staff recommended broader outreach if the city seeks statistically representative results.

The commission did not adopt policy at the March 31 meeting; staff framed this as an information and scoping step that will feed a later gap analysis and formal recommendations to council.

Ending: Staff will return April 14 with a gap analysis and budget implications. Commissioners and several public commenters said they expect city staff to include seniors and other vulnerable groups in follow-up outreach and to coordinate findings with other commissions (for example, traffic and mobility) where evacuation and roadway access intersect with public‑safety planning.