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Committee highlights Firewise recruiting push, June 27 booth and Sept. 11 evacuation drill
Summary
Committee members described neighborhood-level Firewise recruitment (target: 10 volunteers covering about 250 homes), outreach at a June 27 Emergency Preparedness & Safety Day booth, and a planned Sept. 11 evacuation drill involving multiple agencies; staff also discussed inspector scheduling and mapbook distribution.
Members of the Portola Valley Emergency Preparedness Committee gave detailed updates on local wildfire-prevention outreach and planning.
Committee member Patty said subcommittee volunteers split the town into coverage areas and had identified several prospective Firewise leaders; she reported five confirmed volunteers and said the subcommittee’s goal is to recruit about 10 volunteers responsible for roughly 250 homes (about 25 homes per volunteer). "My goal is to get 10 volunteers, 250 homes," Patty said, describing plans to convene existing Firewise leaders from Portola Valley and surrounding areas to share best practices.
Patty and others discussed outreach tactics after mass emails returned many bounces from older neighborhood-watch lists. Committee members proposed a mix of individualized calls, neighborhood social gatherings, a map on an easel at outreach events where residents can place push pins, and targeted posts under the PV forum Firewise tag. The committee plans a Firewise booth at the Emergency Preparedness and Safety Day on Saturday, June 27, listed as roughly 11 a.m.–2 p.m., to recruit volunteers and raise awareness.
Kim, the Fire Marshal, briefed the committee on a planned evacuation drill set for Sept. 11 in the Los Trancos area as part of National Emergency Preparedness Month. The drill will simulate a fire-origin scenario, use fire-modeling data, and include partner agencies; the district will compare model outputs with drill results to identify lessons learned. Kim also said the district is finalizing "mapbooks"—printed, bound maps for public use showing communities, roads, hydrants and fault lines—to support evacuation planning.
On inspections, Kim estimated that with a dedicated defensible-space inspector the district anticipates starting Portola Valley inspections around "end of '26 to the beginnings of '27" and encouraged organizing inspections by street or via street captains to increase efficiency. She said residents can schedule inspections via the district’s booking page on its website.
The updates reflect a mix of community outreach and operational planning that committee members said they hope will increase resident preparedness before the next fire season.
