Palo Alto officials urge neighborhood evacuation planning, detail alert systems and fuel‑reduction work

Fire Chief Blackshire and members of Palo Alto's emergency management team urged residents at a neighborhood town hall to prepare household evacuation plans, register for mass alerts and organize neighbors to help those who need assistance.

"When it comes to emergency response, we highly rely on how engaged the community is," Fire Chief Blackshire said, urging residents to check smoke detectors, develop exit plans and identify safe zones near their homes. "Once we learn that that house is empty, then we don't have to worry about the rescue component."

Nathan Rain of the city's Office of Emergency Services outlined the city's notification tools and how zones will be used during incidents. He encouraged residents to register with the county mass notification system (AlertSCC), use Genesys Protect to "know your zone," and sign up for Nixle for immediate messages. Rain described two evacuation scenarios residents should plan for: a "prepare to evacuate" warning when there is time to gather and a "no notice" evacuation when people must leave immediately.

Why this matters: neighborhoods in the foothills have a limited number of routes out, making preplanning, neighborhood coordination and clear notification essential to reducing life and property loss during wildfire incidents.

The city and partner agencies described multiple, practical steps for residents: maintain functioning smoke detectors, rehearse exit routes, identify a defensible space and coordinate with neighbors who may need help. Chief Blackshire cited a commonly used planning statistic at the meeting: "80% of the homes that are lost in wildfire could have been saved with appropriate preparedness and defensible space."

City staff and partners also discussed operational and infrastructure work that affects evacuation and response. The parks and ranger staff coordinate gate openings and access to Foothills Preserve when those options are needed; rangers and police can secure park gates and assist with routed evacuations. Tammy Jackson, the city's fire marshal, said roadside clearance contracts and bids managed by the Fire Safe Council are expected to start work soon (staff estimated work would begin around July) and that the city prioritizes evacuation routes for annual fuel reduction.

Residents asked about inspections and help identifying hazardous vegetation. Chief Blackshire said engine companies make routine inspections in the foothills and that residents can request a targeted visit by emailing the fire department with their address. Jackson added the city fields reports through both the fire@paloalto.gov email address and 311 for downed trees and hazards; staff inspect complaints to determine jurisdiction and responsibility (city, private property, Stanford, etc.) before remediation.

Neighborhood volunteers and the city's Emergency Services Volunteer (ESV) program were emphasized as complementary to official response. Rain encouraged neighborhoods to sign up block coordinators and participate in planned evacuation drills; staff said the city plans to finalize an updated Foothills Fire Management Plan and expects to post the revised plan online this month. The city also plans to work on a multi‑jurisdictional evacuation exercise that would include neighboring jurisdictions (Los Altos Hills, Woodside and others).

Several residents raised site‑specific evacuation challenges: narrow single‑exit streets and one‑way access in Miranda and Palo Alto Hills. Staff said they would follow up with neighborhood contacts and, in one case, explore whether an emergency gate could be discussed with county partners; neighbors asked the city to contact the county for any physical changes such as an emergency gate.

The meeting also reviewed notification tools beyond AlertSCC and Genesys Protect: WatchDuty (a situational awareness app used by emergency responders) and Nixle were discussed as additional sources of incident information. Rain noted Genesys Protect zone names and numbers used for the foothills zones so residents can confirm their zone in advance.

Ending: Staff said they will post the updated Foothills Fire Management Plan on the city website, continue planned roadside clearance work, and encourage neighborhoods to sign up for ESV training and register for county and zone alerts. Several staff and volunteers said they would remain after the forum to take neighborhood contact information and follow up on specific evacuation route concerns.