Lafayette To Hold Virtual Town Hall: 'Get Ready For Fire Season'

LAFAYETTE, CA — The City of Lafayette is holding an Emergency Preparedness Virtual Town Hall meeting to help community members prepare their family, home and neighborhood for wildland fires and other hazards, such as earthquakes and power failures.

The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28, on Zoom. (Zoom link here.)

"The more prepared we are as a community, the better we’ll be able to respond to a catastrophic fire or other disaster in our area," city officials said in a news release.

"California has experienced a dramatic rise in both the number and severity of wildland fires," city officials said. "These fires have ravaged wildland-urban interface areas taking lives, destroying homes and obliterating infrastructure. Twelve of the 20 largest fires in California’s recorded history have burned in the last five years and 15 of California’s most destructive wildfires have occurred since 2015."

Presenters for the town hall meeting include:

• Chief Ben Alldritt, Lafayette Police Department
• Deputy Fire Chief Aaron McAlister, Contra Costa Fire Protection District
• Briana Taylor, Bay Area Red Cross
• John Cornell, Emergency Preparedness Analyst-Lafayette Police Department
• Moderator, Wei-Tai Kwok, Lafayette City Councilmember

Panel members will each give an overview, then answer questions.

A second Wildfire Town Hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25. For additional information prior to either event, email Cathy Surges-Moscato at csurges@ci.lafayette.ca.us.