Palo Alto Begins Wildfire Preparedness Public Discussions

Palo Alto Begins Wildfire Preparedness Public Discussions

Published on April 28, 2025

The City has launched a series of public engagement and public meetings to raise awareness of local wildfire risks and the importance of wildfire preparedness. Community members are invited to participate to understand actions being taken by the City as well as individual actions they can take to prepare.

Palo Alto, like many communities in California, faces increasing wildfire risks due to climate change, prolonged drought, and human activity in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The City has made significant investments and has strong programs aimed to mitigate wildfire risks. The upcoming conversations reinforce the Council's 2025 Priority of Public Safety, Wellbeing and Belonging and demonstrates an ongoing value of continuous improvement through City programs, policies and best practices in emergency preparedness and wildfire risk reduction.

Among other ongoing actions, Foothills utility undergrounding continues with 37,400 conduit undergrounded and on track for completion mid-2025, and staff cleared over 500 acres of open space for fire fuel reduction and implemented sensors for early wildfire detection and wildfire cameras (our immediate area this includes Black Mountain, Montebello Reservoir, Foothills Park, the Stanford Dish, and Jasper Ridge).

Additionally, thanks to Palo Alto residents who have opted into our emergency alert system, Palo Alto opt in rate is well above the 10% countywide average. Please consider signing up.

Summary of Upcoming Conversations

State Fire Hazard Maps Released for Public Comment

Public comment period open now through April 30, 2025.

To better prepare for wildfires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is required to classify the severity of fire hazard in areas throughout California. In response, the State is releasing Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps in phases and released Palo Alto's maps at the end of February.

Portions of Palo Alto, generally west of Junipero Serra Blvd/Foothill Expressway have been identified as moderate, and areas in the Palo Alto Hills as high or very high Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The maps are like flood zone maps, noting factors such as fire history, existing and potential fuel (natural vegetation), terrain and weather patterns. There are three levels of hazard: moderate, high, and very high. These maps also distinguish areas subject to State of California responsibility from areas subject to local agency responsibility.

State law outlines both a public comment period and local adoption of the maps. In Palo Alto, the public comment period will close on April 30, 2025. The City Council is tentatively set to consider adoption of the maps in June.

This map can affect land use planning, building codes, and wildfire mitigation strategies. The maps could also trigger additional inspections by the Palo Alto Fire Department, and weed abatement requirements to increase wildfire protection and safety. They will also improve our hazard analysis as it pertains to the City's Community Wildfire Protection Plan/Foothills Fire Management Plan efforts, Local Hazard Mitigation planning, Comprehensive plan programs and policies, and community education to reduce personal exposure and risk.

Per CAL FIRE, a change in designation on the maps for a single homeowner is unlikely to affect their insurance. As they note, insurance companies have been using alternate wildfire risk tools for determining where they will write and renew policies, and how much premium to charge a policyholder, not the Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. CAL FIRE's maps are intended to drive local planning decisions, not insurance decisions. Find more insurance related details in these CAL FIRE Frequently Asked Questions.

A description of how the maps are developed is provided here: Fire Hazard Severity Zones | OSFM According to CAL FIRE, the maps are developed using a science-based and field-tested model that assigns a hazard score based on the factors that influence fire likelihood and fire behavior. Many factors are considered such as fire history, existing and potential fuel (natural vegetation), predicted flame length, blowing embers, terrain, and typical fire weather for the area. The maps evaluate "hazard," not "risk". They are like flood zone maps, where lands are described in terms of the probability level of a particular area being inundated by floodwaters, and not specifically prescriptive of impacts. "Hazard" is based on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30 to 50-year period without considering mitigation measures such as home hardening, recent wildfire, or fuel reduction efforts. "Risk" is the potential damage a fire can do to the area under existing conditions, accounting for any modifications such as fuel reduction projects, defensible space, and ignition resistant building construction.

• City of Palo Alto's Fire Hazard Severity Zone map(PDF, 4MB)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Fire Hazard Severity Zones
• Search by address to find your property's current designation
• How FHSZ affect insurance availability and affordability

More Online Resources

• To learn more about Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps
• View maps on mobile device
• Cal FIRE Frequently Asked Questions l Frequently Asked Questions in Spanish
• Wildfire Preparedness Tools
• Recent Implementation of Wildfire Sensors

Public Comment Feedback Form

Review Interactive Map

The FHSZ maps will tentatively be adopted by Palo Alto's City Council by June 2, 2025. The public is welcome to make comments on the FHSZ maps byApril 30, 2025 by 11:59 p.m.

​Steps the Community Can Take

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