Palo Alto officials outline wildfire preparedness steps, urge residents to harden homes

Palo Alto fire and emergency officials laid out the city's wildfire preparedness work in a public presentation, describing past regional blazes, mitigation projects and steps residents can take to reduce risk.

Steve Lindseay, Palo Alto's fire chief, told attendees that while the city benefits from coastal humidity, it is not immune to wildfire and that risk is concentrated in the foothills west of Highway 280 and in grassy open spaces. Lindseay cited recent regional losses in the 2020 CZU complex — "over 86,000 acres burned and over 1,490 structures lost," and one life lost — and warned that changing weather patterns can increase summer danger. "We respond with compassion and pride to every call," Lindseay said, describing the city's daily staffing of six fire engines, a ladder (tiller) truck, a battalion chief and three ambulances.

The office of emergency services (OES) chief, Ken Dooker, emphasized interagency coordination and prevention measures. "Our mantra in OES is to do the most good for the most people as efficiently and equitably as possible," he said, summarizing work on the Community Wildfire Prevention Plan (CWPP) and the Foothills Fire Management Program. Dooker said the city has worked with Stanford and the Woodside Fire Protection District to deploy N5 wildfire sensors to gain earlier warning of ignitions, and that the utilities department is finishing a multi-year effort to underground the city's own high-voltage lines in the wildland-urban interface.

Dooker noted that the undergrounding covers lines the city controls; investor-owned utility lines (such as PG&E and Southern California Edison) remain visible in parts of the city. He also described efforts to ensure water and pump resiliency if power is interrupted, including deploying diesel generators as backup.

Tammy Jasso, Palo Alto's fire marshal, reviewed operational preparations for wildfire season and what residents can do. "Station 8, which is up in the foothills, is staffed with a threeperson fire engine 12 hours a day, 7 days a week," she said, adding that staffing rotates with Los Altos Hills Fire and Santa Clara County to improve response times through October (and sometimes later if conditions warrant). Jasso described engine-company inspections that educate homeowners, produce inspection reports with mitigation items, and include follow-up inspections to bring properties into compliance.

Jasso also outlined the role of park rangers and Community Services Department crews: maintaining roughly 400 acres of fire breaks and about 25 miles of roads and trails in the foothills, and completing roadside evacuation-corridor clearances (Arastradero, Page Mill Road and Los Trancos) by May 29. Rangers patrol preserves to detect unauthorized fires, support initial attack with a Type 6 engine and assist with mop-up operations.

Officials urged residents to use CalFire's Ready, Set, Go guidance, sign up for the city's emergency alert system (Genesis) to learn evacuation zones and routes, and adopt "zone zero" defensible-space practices (the five feet immediately around a house) as a key home-hardening step. The presenters said handouts and web links are available for residents seeking details on defensible space and evacuation planning.

No formal motions or votes were taken at the presentation; officials framed the session as informational and focused on coordination, public education and operational readiness.