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April 30, 2022 - Event Highlights

Watch the Highlights from our April Event: “Make Your Home Hazard Free, Inside and Out!”

The LAHCFD and Town of Los Altos Hills joined together to host an event on April 30th at the Los Altos Hills Town Hall to provide safety tips and educate attendees on how to reduce hazards in and around the home. View the video for a taste of highlights.

Goats Grazing in Byrne Preserve - An Alternative for Vegetation Management

Coffee and Pastries with the Goats!

LAHCFD and the Town of Los Altos Hills hosted a small group of residents for coffee and pastries with the mighty wildfire prevention goats at Byrne Preserve on May 13th. Since 2006, the District annually brings about 400 goats into Byrne Preserve to aid in vegetation mitigation and fire fuel management. The goats graze on the difficult-to-reach undergrowth, significantly reducing the fire load without traditional, mechanical methods.

Station 8 - Protecting Los Altos Hills During Wildfire Season

Fire District Funds Fire Station 8 to Serve and Protect the Hills - June through October 2022

Staffing Fire Station 8 protects the areas around Foothills Park and the surrounding communities and is an important step in providing critical fire resources and a regional response for public safety during the high fire season.

Beginning in 2021, the Fire District partnered with Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District and the City of Palo Alto to fund and staff Fire Station 8 in Palo Alto throughout the high fire season.

In 2022, the fire station will again be staffed with a three-person engine company for a minimum of 12 hours per day, 7-days per week, with the option to add more hours depending on fire weather conditions. Station 8 will respond to areas next to the Page Mill Road corridor, from Skyline Boulevard to I-280, and will be available for mutual aid. The Fire District provides the funding for the 3-person crew while on duty assignment at Station 8.

Evacuation Capabilities Greatly Improved Due To Resident Participation.

Fire District Improves Evacuation Capabilities for Hills Residents

The Fire District completed its first Evacuation Route and Road Hardening Project of 2022 along Altamont Road!

The Evacuation Route Project, which removed dead, dying, diseased, and damaged vegetation along the 4.4-mile, roundtrip route accomplished two important goals:

1. Safer evacuation in case of emergency.
2. Easier access for firefighters, paramedics, and equipment to combat the fire or reach residents who need help.

The Altamont Project was completed in May and connects past evacuation route projects on Page Mill Road and Moody & and El Monte Roads.

Approximately 25% of residents along the Altamont Evacuation Route Project participated in the project, allowing us to clear hazardous vegetation even further from the roadside, increasing the project’s effectiveness. Residence participation also vastly improves road visibility and travel safety.

If we have a project near you, you will receive a notification through mail with information on how to participate.

To learn more about the Altamont Road Evacuation Route, visit the Project Page.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their community and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.