Piedmont Fire Chief Dave Brannigan will deliver a presentation on wildfire readiness in Piedmont at the Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, January 23:

Public Safety Committee: Wildfire readiness in Piedmont

Thursday, January 23, 5:30pm
Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue

Community members are encouraged to attend and speak at the meeting in person. Video of the presentation will be available for viewing afterwards on the City’s website.

Chief Brannigan will describe the City of Piedmont’s work to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate risk from wildfires, including both City-specific initiatives and collaborative regional work. The presentation will discuss the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, the risks a similar event could pose to Piedmont, and two Fire Department initiatives currently in progress that aim to address these risks – an update of the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and a community wildfire evacuation exercise planned for May 2025.

The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan update, which began last fall, is data-driven process to develop a roadmap for actions the City can take now that would prevent or reduce potential impacts of a wildfire or other disaster, such as:

• developing programs to help residents make their properties more resilient
• strengthening building codes
• retrofitting/rebuilding critical infrastructure and facilities

Documenting these projects in a formally adopted mitigation plan will position Piedmont to apply for state and federal disaster assistance and mitigation grants.

The wildfire evacuation exercise allows the City to test organization-wide emergency response protocols and identify any gaps in procedures or training, while also providing community members a practical opportunity to test their own household’s preparation.

Community participation is critical to the success of both efforts. The presentation will highlight upcoming opportunities to get involved, including a public workshop scheduled for Wednesday, March 26 where participants will collaborate to brainstorm and prioritize mitigation projects or programs.

Visit piedmont.ca.gov/LHMP to learn more about the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, sign up for email updates, and provide input to the project team. Visit piedmont.ca.gov/disaster for information on preparing your household for wildfires and other disasters, including creating an evacuation plan, packing a go-bag, and managing vegetation to reduce risk on your property.