L.A. officials say they are prepared for Santa Ana winds
Both the L.A. city and county fire departments are strategically pre-deploying personnel and equipment in advance of this week’s dangerous fire weather. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is also positioning additional firefighters, aircraft and equipment in Orange, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara counties.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office projected confidence that the city was better prepared to handle upcoming red flag conditions.
A spokesperson for the mayor said that all L.A. Department of Water and Power tanks that service hillside areas are full of water, and all open-air reservoirs remain available for firefighting support — with no current concerns about water pressure in the city’s hydrant system.
The L.A. County Fire Department is augmenting staffing by around 100 personnel on Thursday and Friday, according to department spokesperson Pauline McGee. The department is pre-staging resources such as fire engines, strike teams, camp crews, water tenders and drone crews in known high-risk areas including Malibu, the 101 Freeway corridor and the Antelope Valley, she said.
On Tuesday morning, LAFD Capt. Anthony Tubbs said it was too early to know precisely what resources will be positioned and where, noting that “those decisions are made based on the information that we’re provided by the National Weather Service forecasters and our command staff goes through their decision-making process minute by minute.”