Los Angeles County Fire Sponsors Station Fire Community Meeting on September 4th for Residents of Duarte, Bradbury and Azusa
Los Angeles County Fire Department is sponsoring a community meeting for the cities of Azusa, Duarte and Bradbury on the status of the Station Fire. The meeting will be held Friday, September 4th at 7:00 pm at the Azusa Senior Center located at 740 N. Dalton Ave. Azusa. The purpose of the meeting is to inform residents and officials about the importance of preparing a personal/family emergency plan as the fire heads back eastward toward our communities.
The City of Duarte also continues preparations in case the Station Fire enters Duarte. Staff is particularly concentrating on fuel reduction efforts throughout the foothill portion of the City. Beginning yesterday and continuing into today, the Field Services Division has been working the several areas to the west of Spinks Canyon. This effort has involved the use of a loader and water tanker with the goals being both reduction of fire fuel and providing clear access for fire personnel if needed.
Along the north end of Greenbank Ave, Rancho Tivo Goats have been mechanically removing large Sumac shrubs with the goats expecting to begin grazing the area by Friday. Mariposa Landscape is in the process of removing vegetation from a slope located at the northwest end of Las Lomas Road. Previous fuel reduction work has been done in the areas on the northern end of Spinks Canyon. Rd., west of Westvale Rd., and eastern portions of Crestview Court.
With the terrible and unpredictable wildfires around us, it is very natural to be concerned about our own community’s safety and what plans there are in place should we find ourselves in the situation that many of our neighboring communities are facing today.
Duarte Public Safety Director Brian Villalobos has a message for residents.
“We want our residents to know that the City of Duarte is prepared with an evacuation plan and contingency plans are in place in the event any fire threatens the City of Duarte,” said Villalobos.
- Duarte Public Safety is in hourly contact with the Los Angeles County Fire Department regarding the Station Fire.
- Designated City personnel are in daily contact with surrounding communities of Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia and Bradbury to share information and plan comprehensive coordinated strategies
- Los Angeles County has in place a telephone notification system, also referred to as a reverse 911 systems that would be used in the event of emergency notifications.
- A pre-determined evacuation site is the Duarte Community Center, 1600 Huntington Dr. other locations have been identified and will be announced when and if needed
- City of Duarte department heads have reviewed emergency procedures.
- City personnel are pre-planning with surrounding communities, Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department evacuation contingencies and trigger points to activate those contingencies.
Residents also should be sure that they are prepared for any emergencyand have an evacuation plan in place if one is needed. A good evacuation plan includes charting predetermined routes of travel based on direction fire is moving; identify at least two exit routes from your neighborhood; familiarize yourself with local emergency contacts; plan, review, and practice with family and neighbors. Other important things you should do to be prepared:
- Keep a pair of old shoes and a flashlight handy for a night evacuation.
- Keep the six “P’s” ready, in case an immediate evacuation is required:
- People and pets
- Papers, phone numbers, and important documents
- Prescriptions, vitamins, and eyeglasses
- Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
- Personal computers (information on hard drive and disks)
- “Plastic” (credit cards, ATM cards) and cash
As the fire continues to burn closer to Duarte, there is a chance more wild life will be leaving the forest and entering the City. Public Safety Officials warn residents to be cautious, leave them alone and do not feed them. Residents may want to take extra caution and keep small children and pets indoors.
For more information and tips and tools on how to prepare for a wildfire, and for the latest information on the Station fire, residents can use the following source also available on the city website under the “fire update” link on the homepage: www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
