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Leading into the much-anticipated release of the state’s mapping of high fire severity zones, Menlo Park and Atherton fire, police and city officials had concerns that portions of their cities could fall into high fire hazard.
That’s part of the reason why the cities of Atherton and Menlo Park, along with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and Atherton and Menlo Park’s emergency preparedness groups, hosted a forum Thursday evening, March 13, about reducing wildfire risk. The district provides emergency response and fire prevention services to 90,000 residents in Atherton, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, and parts of unincorporated San Mateo County.
Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Mark Lorenzen said there is heightened awareness about wildfires because of the devastating fires in Southern California in January.
“We have seen a change in the climate,” he said during the March 13 meeting held in Atherton’s Holbrook-Palmer Park. “We have seen fires burn all winter long. I feel really reluctant to say it can’t happen here.”
The cities were ultimately not included in high fire hazard zones released in late February by Cal Fire — save 12 parcels in the Stanford Weekend Acres neighborhood. Parts of Woodside and Portola Valley are included in high or moderate fire hazard zones on the map. But Atherton City Manager George Rodericks said the March 13 session still provided a great opportunity to remind and refresh residents on fire safety, fire prevention, evacuation and general preparedness for emergencies like earthquakes and floods.
What fire hazard severity maps tell you
Cal Fire distinguishes between “hazard” and “risk” in its maps. The maps measure hazard. Hazard is based on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30- to 50-year period without considering mitigation measures such as home hardening, recent wildfire or fuel reduction efforts.
Risk is the potential damage a fire can do to the area under existing conditions, accounting for fuel reduction projects, defensible space and fire-resistant building construction, according to Cal Fire.
Recent San Mateo County fire history
Before joining Menlo Park Fire in 2022, Lorenzen served 31 years with the Ventura County Fire Department, the last 10 of which as its fire chief. While working for Ventura County, Lorenzen led responses to the 2017 Thomas Fire and the 2018 Hill and Woolsey fires.
Lorenzen noted it was traumatic for him to watch the recent wildfires play out in Southern California based on his past work in Ventura. Menlo Park Fire sent its own firefighters and engines down south to help in the winter firefighting efforts.
The fire chief noted that the Peninsula is fortunate not to have similar winds that Southern California — like the Santa Ana winds, strong, hot, dry, dust-bearing winds that descend to the Pacific Coast from inland desert regions. Still, “as we saw with CZU Fires, that doesn’t mean fires can’t burn here,” he said.
He noted that the fires he previously saw in Southern California “haven’t burned like that before.”
The 2020 CZU Fires burned over 80,000 acres in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, coming close to Portola Valley.
The 2022 Edgewood Fire in the Emerald Hills area of Woodside and Redwood City only burned 20 acres, but caused local evacuation orders and left thousands of residents without power. Four firefighters suffered minor injuries from the blaze. The then-fire chief for Woodside Fire Protection District said at the time that the lack of high winds accompanying the fire helped the fire not spread as rapidly.
In 2023, 104 of 179 housing units of an affordable housing development in North Fair Oaks were destroyed by a fire. Embers from that fire threatened nearby residences. The fire department faced challenges finding enough water to fight that fire alone, Lorenzen noted.
Concern about water resources
During the recent fires in the Los Angeles-area firefighters contended with empty fire hydrants and a lack of water to fight the fires in general.
Residents at the March 13 meeting wondered if a similar situation could happen on the Peninsula and if there are plans to stockpile water for such a fire emergency.
Lorenzen noted that hydrants can go dry because pumps stop working during power outages. When structures like homes are on fire, water is often wasted because pipes burst and become open spigots.
Lorenzen also noted, hopefully, that there are a significant number of homes in Atherton with swimming pools with 20,000-30,000 gallons of water that firefighters can tap into.
Menlo Park has two reservoirs that can be tapped into in the Sand Hill Road area. In 2013, the city selected the city’s corporation yard at 333 Burgess Drive as the site for the first emergency well and completed construction in 2020.
The city is also evaluating three sites for potential emergency wells at the following locations:
- Will Oaks School field, 620 Willow Road
- Fire Station No. 1, 300 Middlefield Road
- Stanford Research Institute parking lot, 333 Ravenswood Ave.
- St. Patrick’s Seminary, 320 Middlefield Road
In addition to emergency wells, the city is also investigating locations for a future underground reservoir to increase supply reliability.
Palo Alto has groundwater wells and storage that provide emergency water supply service.
Evacuation plans
Residents asked fire and city officials if Menlo Park and Atherton have evacuation plans in place.
Atherton Police Chief Steve McCulley said that the town is in talks with the county about emergency evacuation plans. Atherton currently doesn’t have such plans.
Menlo Park hired a disaster preparedness coordinator last year to help develop a streamlined system to tackle emergencies and disasters. The city’s safety element does not include specific evacuation plans during emergencies.
Preparation tips refresher
Both Lorenzen and Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team President Susan Warren shared fire prevention and preparation tips.
Menlo Fire staff recommended signing up for Watch Duty, a nonprofit that alerts you of nearby wildfires and firefighting efforts in real time.
“The app is really valuable,” said Lorenzen. “If you see smoke in the area and want to know what’s going on, it’s likely going to be on here (Watch Duty) if it’s a wildland fire.”
Officials also reminded residents to have emergency “go-bags” ready. These bags should include an N95, portable oxygen canister, protective eyewear, work gloves, a two-week supply of water, food and medications and more.
Officials recommended removing dry leaves from gutters and roofs, replacing wood mulch with rock mulch, and removing combustible material from under and on top of decks.
Lorenzen noted that no landscaping “is really fire resistant” and it requires maintenance and pruning. He recommended native and drought tolerant plants to residents though.
Heather Keller, Menlo Fire’s community volunteer coordinator, recommended keeping your car’s gas tank at least half full or half charged, knowing alternate exit routes and knowing how to open the garage door when the power is out.
For more information on ADAPT, go to getreadyatherton.org.
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