Throughout the year the Town Council hears recommendations from committees and discusses wildfire preparedness' issues.  Agendas for meetings, meeting summaries, and meeting recordings can be found on the Town Council page.  

A FAQ was created on the SB 9 and Home Hardening Ordinances passed by urgency vote at the December 8, 2021, Town Council meeting.  It answers questions about community discussions, the Town of Woodside, and the Woodside Fire Protection District. Click here to read the FAQ.

Emergency Preparedness Committee

One of the Town’s longstanding committees, the Emergency Preparedness Committee has taken the lead on a multitude of important projects, including the expansion of the Town’s emergency communications suite, development of the Town’s Emergency Operations Plan, integration of the Town’s emergency operations center and WPV-Ready (see below) activities during an emergency event.  

The Town is a close partner with the Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD). Town and WFPD staff work together regularly at a host of wildfire preparedness, mitigation, and adaptation efforts. WFPD participates and reviews all Town ordinances and land use policies prior to their adoption. 

Major efforts either led by or including WFPD are:

1. Wildfire Risk and Hazard Mapping - WFPD is currently developing new wildfire hazard and risk maps for the entire district.  They are expected to be completed later this year.

2. Home Hardening and SB 9 Ordinances - WFPD participated and jointly recommended, with staff, these two ordinances that identify and reduce wildfire risks.

3. CPAW Grant - as CPAW continues its work on behalf of WFPD, a Community Wildfire Protection Plan is expected to be developed at the District level with Town support. 

4. Safety Element -  WFPD and Town Staff, along with Town Committees and consultants are working closely to support an updated Safety Element.  The components of the safety element associated with the housing element can be found here.

5. Community Wildfire Plan - WFPD, with Town support, will develop a community wildfire protection plan for the entire district. 

1. SMC Alert – Portola Valley has the highest rate of SMC Alert registration in San Mateo County.  This tool is the primary mechanism used to make timely, emergency notifications to residents. SMC Alert uses all communication channels (reverse 911, texting, email, etc.) to communicate emergency information. SMC Alert is also used to provide weather information during Red Flag and Public Safety Power Shutoff events, or other status updates.
2. AM Radio – The Town’s AM radio (1680 AM) was improved in the last two years, with new equipment that improves reception for the vast majority of the community.  The Town is working with Cal Water to relocate its transmission infrastructure, which will improve its broadcast reach. The Town also has access to a mobile AM unit that is activated in emergencies.
3. Information Dissemination – The Town has assembled a comprehensive list of partners that have agreed to disseminate the Town’s emergency information.  This list includes public partners, businesses, churches, private clubs, neighborhood watch groups, and the Portola Valley School District, among others.  This distribution will allow the maximum reach for important emergency information.
4. Back-up Power for Cell Sites – The Town has a relationship with all cell service providers, as well as Crown Castle, the owner of the Town’s cell phone infrastructure site.  Each provider has plans to provide, in the short-term, additional emergency power to its sites until each commences work on a permanent 72-hour back-up power improvements that have been mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
5. WPV-Ready/WPV-CERT – WPV-Ready operates in the Woodside Fire Protection District, providing Emergency Preparedness information, education and resources, covering the towns of Woodside and Portola Valley, and un-incorporated areas of San Mateo County including Emerald Hills, Ladera, Los Trancos, Skyline, and Vista Verde. Their goal is to reach every individual and neighborhood in the district, and help them become prepared for emergencies like wildland fires and earthquakes.

    

   WPV-Ready’s partner organization, WPV-CERT, is focused on building the strongest possible volunteer emergency response capability. It is organized as a full CERT program. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. Trained CERTs have learned how to work effectively in teams to provide a next-level response, putting out small fires, treating the most common medical conditions, searching for and extracting victims from damaged buildings, and other useful skills at a level beyond what individuals can accomplish.

6. Wildfire Cameras – Stanford University recently deployed three Alert Wildfire Cameras that cover the majority of Portola Valley. You can view those cameras here. Other Alert Wildfire cameras have been deployed throughout San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties.
7. Dedicated Communications Staff – In 2018, the Town hired a Communications and Community Engagement Analyst, who has amplified the Town’s communication via social media (Facebook, Twitter, NextDoor) and the Town’s website.

Portola Valley’s limited roadways are an understood challenge as it relates to the potential need for a rapid evacuation due to an approaching wildfire. In 2019, the Town Council created and directed the Wildfire Preparedness Committee to review and make recommendations to all aspects of evacuation planning efforts in the last year. Staff has also been heavily engaged in evacuation-related planning with our lead partners at the Woodside Fire Protection District and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office in the last few years, particularly in relation to alternative evacuation routes and Zonehaven.

Should there be wildfires in the area, future evacuation orders are expected to be conservative in nature and provide the maximum amount of time possible to allow all to leave in a systematic fashion.

1. Town Right of Way Vegetation Management – An expansive program to reduce the vegetation load along the Town’s primary evacuation routes has been underway since 2019.  Such work shall continue for at least the next year. This work is also occurring near the Town’s emergency gates. Ladder fuels are removed/reduced, shaded fuel breaks are created, and selected tree removal shall take place. You can view the updated map here.
2. Safety Element Update – Per state law, the Town is updating its Safety Element at the same time as the Housing Element Update. This update will include information from a recently-approved RFP to support evacuation traffic engineering services that is expected to begin this summer.
3. Alternative Routes – Town staff has communicated with private landowners who have roads on their property that connect to public streets with out of town access.  While the Town will not necessarily promote these access points, the WFPD and the Sheriff’s Office are aware of these routes, and these will be considered during an emergency for potential evacuations.  Such access points will be announced only in the event of an actual emergency.
4. Town Emergency Gates – The Town has 13 emergency gates throughout Portola Valley that connect various streets with each other. These gates are normally locked, but local residents, the Town, the Sheriff’s Office, and the WFPD have the lock combinations, and they will all be opened as soon as an evacuation warning or evacuation is announced. The gates are checked annually and recently again due to the CZU fires.
5. Zonehaven Implementation - San Mateo County and its 20 cities have implemented a new tool to plan for and aid emergency personnel and residents during evacuations.  Residents should know their zone numbers as these will be used during any evacuations. Zonehaven is also being used to run simulations of various evacuation scenarios, which may inform future policy decision making. An evacuation may result in up to 7,500 cars from Portola Valley, Los Trancos/Vista Verde and Ladera leaving the area over the course of multiple hours, depending on the number of routes open, the time of day, etc. The Town’s roads are well under capacity on our busiest days (which can mean 400-600 cars/hour coming into or out of Town) and opening second lanes can provide additional capacity. Having a plan in place in advance of an evacuation order is key to ensuring an orderly exit.
6. School and Institutional Evacuation Planning Efforts – Spearheaded by Town staff, the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Management (DEM) began a series of meetings in April 2022 including the WFPD, the Sheriff’s Office, representatives of the Emergency Preparedness Committee, and Town schools, churches, large institutions, and other potential generators of vehicles to coordinate and plan for a potential future evacuation order. These meetings are expect to last through the summer. 

As shared in previous communications, public safety officials believe if there is a wildfire burning near the community, and you feel like you should leave, you should leave and head for your pre-planned destination. For many, this might be the best decision, instead of waiting for an evacuation warning or order.

Should an emergency order be declared, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office will direct its resources to Portola Valley, which will include mutual aid partners from other police departments. Once an emergency order was called during the CZU Fire, over one hundred police and sheriff officers were deployed within a few hours, allowing for the orderly evacuation of affected areas.

For more details, please review the Emergency Preparedness/Wildfire Preparedness Committee’s joint message/tip sheet on evacuations. 

Review the PV Evacuation page

1. Public Right of Way/Roads – As stated above, the Town is executing an extensive multiyear vegetation management program along the Town’s primary evacuation routes and emergency access points.
2. Regional Partner Engagement – Stanford University has been implementing a vegetation management program on its properties in Portola Valley since late 2019, and expects a report from its fire consulting group later this year that will address mitigation measure for Jasper Ridge.  Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) has identified vegetation work for both the Windy Hill and Hawthorn complexes.  WFPD and the Town will implement further projects as funding becomes available.  Last year, PG&E completed vegetation management work in the Woodside Highlands and along Portola Road.  PG&E also continues this maintenance work on an annual basis, and such efforts will expand in FY 2021-22 to remove problem trees in the utility easement.
3. Chipper Days – The Town and the WFPD are working to increase the number of available Chipper program days for residential fuel mitigation.
4. Clean-Up Days - Town residents have the opportunity two to three times a year to dispose of yard waste at the Town’s Neighborhood Clean-Up Days, as well as requesting on-call clean ups from GreenWaste.

5. Wunderlich Park Fire Reduction Project - In July 2021, San Mateo County Parks began to treat 184 acres of overdense forest in Wunderlich Park in order to improve forest health and reduce fire danger to the community.  The Project Runs from July 2021 until July 2022. 

6. Stanford University Wildfire Mitigation Plan Stanford University's wildfire mitigation plan for all of its properties.

1. FAQ on the SB 9 and Home Hardening Ordinances passed by urgency vote at the December 8, 2021, Town Council meeting.  It answers questions about community discussions, the Town of Woodside, and the Woodside Fire Protection District. Click here to read the FAQ. 
2. Building Code Update – The Town Council has adopted a recommendation on December 8th from the Wildfire Preparedness Committee to amend the Building Code to mandate new requirements on roof materials, ember-resistant vents, non-combustible fences and decks that are connected to homes, non-combustible siding, enclosed eaves, and tempered windows and skylights.
3. Design Guidelines Update – As adopted by the Town Council from a recommendation of the Wildfire Preparedness Committee, Design Guidelines will be updated to reflect home placement away from slopes, a simplification of rooflines, limiting vegetation accumulation in eaves, potential increases to ignition-free zones around homes and near roads, and changes to plant distribution on properties. These guidelines will be updated in Fiscal Year 2021-22

4. Where to Start When Considering Property Wildfire Mitigation Property wildfire mitigation can be a confusing endeavor, particularly when one considers where to start. This guide from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety provides a step-by-step approach to the types of mitigations available to property owners and takes into account that these efforts are often multi-pronged and can take time.

Per State law, municipalities are required to update their Safety Element upon the next revision of the Housing Element. The Town’s Safety Plan update will begin later this year. The same consultant who is assisting with the Housing Element update, Urban Planning Partners, is also assisting with the Safety Element update, which allows for coordination of important safety information in the Housing Element. 

The Town is updating both its Housing and Safety elements concurrently. In order to support the Housing Element update process, portions of the Safety Element update began in late 2021. You can review those materials here. 

The Town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan was updated and adopted by the Town Council in January 2022. The plan was developed as part of a partnership between 36 local San Mateo County governments and special districts to ensure access to financial assistance for pre- and post-disaster financial assistance to reduce natural hazard risks in Portola Valley and the entire community. 

•  Multijurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan    
•  Wildfire Risk Ranking Change from Medium to High
•  Discussion of HMP Item at December 2021 Council meeting 

1. Virtual Emergency Operations Center – The Town has entered into a relationship with VEOCI, which has developed a virtual emergency operations center tool. Training on the tool is underway, and full implementation is forthcoming. 
2. CPAW Grant – With the Woodside Fire Protection District as the lead for the Town, Woodside, and the County of San Mateo, we are the recipients of a resource grant from Community Partner Assistance for Wildfires (CPAW), a nationally-recognized wildfire preparedness organization. The resource grant will support the Safety Element, further vegetation management work, communications, and other important areas of wildfire impact mitigation and resiliency. The Town is, with its partners, the first to receive the grant in the Bay Area.

Red Flag Day/Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) activity prohibition – The Town adopted an ordinance that prohibits many outdoor activities during Red Flag Day events that involve mechanical equipment. 

Below are resources that we hope you utilize as you prepare your family and your home for future wildfire threat:

1. Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD) resources
   1. Home Assessment Tool
   2. Defensible Space and Hazard Complaint Form
   3. Chipper Program
   4. Preparedness/Education (learn more about what to do there is a wildfire evacuation order and if you get caught in a wildfire)
2. Evacuation planning tools from Ready for Wildfire
3. Family Communications Planning tool from FEMA
4. Living with Wildfire guide from San Mateo County
5. Defensible Space guide from Ready for Wildfire
6. Wildfire Preparedness Committee – formed in the summer of 2019, the Wildfire Preparedness Committee has provided the Town Council with a variety of recommendations that have or will soon be implemented. If you have ideas that you would like to share, please contact them here.
7. Location of Town’s Emergency Fire Gates – please note this is provided for information purposes only, and does not indicate that any gate will be used in any upcoming evacuation; information will be provided to residents at the time such an order is given on what routes to consider/use
8. Fire Resistant Plants from Fire Safe San Mateo County
9. Evacuation Information on Pets and Horse Owners and Evacuation Planning 
10. Memo to Town Council RE Very High Fire Severity Zones 8-31-2022