The golden hills of Lamorinda are a beautiful place to call home, but we know that living here comes with a responsibility to be prepared for wildfire. While individual preparedness is the foundation of safety, true resilience is built together, neighbor by neighbor, block by block. Our greatest strength lies in our community.
The Power of Community: More Than the Sum of Our Parts
When a wildfire threatens, every second counts. Imagine a neighborhood where every resident has a plan, homes are hardened against embers, and clear communication lines are already established. This is not just a dream; it is the goal of community-based preparedness.
When neighbors work together, they become a powerful force multiplier. A coordinated community can evacuate more efficiently, check on vulnerable residents, and share accurate information, cutting through the noise and confusion of an emergency. During any real incident, always follow official evacuation orders from MOFD, ConFire, and law enforcement. Community coordination supports the official response, it does not replace it.
What Does Neighborhood Coordination Look Like?
In communities across fire-prone areas, motivated neighbors step into informal leadership roles, becoming the person on the block who helps everyone stay informed and prepared. Various community groups, Firewise committees, neighborhood associations, CERT teams, and others can fill this role. What matters is that someone does.
A neighborhood lead or block coordinator might:
- Provide guidance on home hardening and creating defensible space. (Specific hardening requirements vary by jurisdiction and property. Homeowners should consult their local fire district for guidance tailored to their home.)
- Help neighbors develop and practice family evacuation plans.
- Act as a trusted source of information from official sources like CAL FIRE and NOAA.
- Coordinate with local fire departments to ensure neighborhood efforts align with professional emergency response.
How You Can Get Involved
Building a fire-resilient Lamorinda is a mission for all of us. Here is how you can contribute:
1. Step Up for Your Block
You do not need a title or formal training to make a difference. If you are the kind of person who already checks on your neighbors, you are halfway there. Talk to the people on your street. Start a group chat. Organize a chipper day. Every block benefits from having someone willing to take the first step.
2. Prepare Your Home and Family
The single most important step you can take is to prepare your own home. Our website has comprehensive guides to help you get started.
- Home Hardening Checklist: Learn how to make your home more resistant to embers.
- Create Your Evacuation Plan: A step-by-step guide to making sure your family is ready to go when an evacuation order is issued.
3. Stay Informed
Knowledge is power. Ensure you are registered for your city's emergency alerts. Sign up for AC Alert, Genasys Protect (Zonehaven), and Nixle to get real-time, hyper-local updates.
A Safer Future, Together
The threat of wildfire is serious, but it is not insurmountable. By combining individual responsibility with the collective power of our community, we can face the future with confidence. Whether it is through a Firewise group, a CERT team, or just an informal neighborhood chat, the important thing is that we look out for each other.
Your next step: Community resilience starts with organized neighborhoods. These guides help you build the systems that make collective action work.
- Communication Playbook for Fire Season: Build your block's contact tree, choose the right apps, and coordinate during emergencies
- Neighborhood Assessment Toolkit: Walk your block with a structured framework to identify shared risks and priorities
- Evacuation Routes: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Guide: Know every route out of your neighborhood before you need it