Lamorinda's Emergency Communications Network Gets Its Biggest Test
On April 30, Lamorinda joins a county-wide emergency communications exercise called BEACON (Building Emergency Area Communications, Operations, and Networks). The scenario: an 8.8-magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas Fault, with building collapses, infrastructure damage, and fires.
The exercise tests what happens when cell towers go down and the power goes out — how quickly can your neighborhood get a priority message from your block to the county's Emergency Operations Center? Residents, CERT teams, Firewise neighborhood leaders, and amateur radio operators will practice passing situation reports up through GMRS repeaters to MOFD's Communications Support Team, which relays to Contra Costa County OES via HAM radio and WinLink.
Fire Safe Moraga Orinda has been donating emergency radios to Firewise neighborhoods that didn't have one. As the organizers put it: "Having a radio is good, but using a radio is a perishable skill that needs to be learned and practiced."
You can participate. Register by emailing registrar@lamorindacert.org or visit beaconexercise.org.
→ Read the full story: BEACON 2026 — How Lamorinda is Testing Its Emergency Lifeline
Regulatory Update: New Fire and WUI Codes Now in Effect Across Moraga and Orinda
Both Moraga (Feb. 11) and Orinda (March 3) have ratified the Moraga-Orinda Fire District's updated fire codes:
- Ordinance 26-01 (Fire Code): Updated fire apparatus access, hydrant spacing, sprinkler/alarm requirements, and construction-phase fire safety.
- Ordinance 26-02 (WUI Code): Adopts the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code with local amendments for ignition-resistant construction — vents, eaves, siding, roofing, decking.
If you're planning any exterior work in Moraga or Orinda, these codes now apply. They're more restrictive than state minimums. (Note: Lafayette is served by ConFire, not MOFD — these specific ordinances don't apply to Lafayette projects.)
Zone Zero update: MOFD Deputy Fire Chief Lucas Lambert said the formal Zone Zero requirements are still with the Board of Forestry, with an update expected soon.
→ Read our analysis: What MOFD's New Codes Mean for Your Next Project
Community Bulletin
-
MOFD Community Open House — Saturday, May 2, 11am–1pm, Fire Station 45 (33 Orinda Way). Meet the crew, see the apparatus, ask your Zone Zero and fire-hardening questions in person. A good opportunity if you want to understand how the new WUI code affects your property. This year's open house supports Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area. Details
-
New on the site: The Insurance Crisis Hitting Lamorinda. State Farm non-renewed 1,703 of 3,115 Orinda policies — 55%, the highest rate of any California ZIP code. Our latest piece walks through the numbers, what's driving the non-renewals, and why hardening your own home is the lever that most actually changes your standing with insurers. Read the full piece
-
EBMUD Water Conservation Rebates — EBMUD offers rebates on lawn-to-garden conversions, smart irrigation controllers, and drip irrigation upgrades. For fire-zone homeowners, these rebates are also a Zone Zero opportunity: replace a water-hungry lawn with a non-combustible gravel perimeter AND drought-tolerant native plantings further out. Drop-in online office hours April 21, 12–1pm. EBMUD Rebates · Our guide: Balancing Water Conservation and Fire Safety
→ See how one Lamorinda homeowner used the EBMUD rebate to build a Zone Zero yard from scratch
One Thing to Do This Week: Your Spring Zone Zero Check
Fire season ramps up in May. You have roughly six weeks. This weekend, spend 30 minutes in the first five feet around your house:
- Clear gutters and roof of needles, dry leaves, and debris.
- Move combustibles back — woodpiles, cushions, doormats, bins — at least 5 feet from walls.
- Check under decks and stairs where litter quietly accumulates.
This is the highest-return 30 minutes you'll spend on your home this spring. A clean five-foot zone changes what your house does when an ember lands on it.
→ Read: The Zero-Foot Perimeter — Lamorinda's New Line of Defense
Get every new issue in your inbox
Issue #1 lands in May with BEACON exercise debriefs, MOFD Zone Zero updates, and our late-spring readiness playbook. One email per issue, local and concise, easy to unsubscribe anytime.
→ Subscribe to the Lamorinda Ready newsletter
Correction (2026-04-26): The original version of this issue listed the MOFD Community Open House as "Friday, May 2, 11am–1pm." May 2, 2026 is a Saturday — that detail has been corrected above and the venue (Fire Station 45, 33 Orinda Way) and beneficiary (Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area) added per MOFD's announcement.