City of Fullerton Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
With the horrific and devastating fires which occurred in Los Angeles County, the City of Fullerton would like to update our community on the City's preparedness, fire prevention, response and water system capabilities.
Emergency Evacuations and Notifications
Evacuations in Fullerton are managed by both the Fullerton Police and Fullerton Fire Departments, with each incident requiring a customized approach based on its unique circumstances and variables. To stay informed during emergencies, community members are strongly encouraged to follow the Fullerton Police Department on the following social media accounts:
- Instagram: @fullerton_pd
- Facebook: @FullertonPolice
- X: @FPDPIO
Additionally, please register with the County of Orange’s emergency notification system, AlertOC.
AlertOC has the capacity to send notifications of emergency conditions to registered participants within minutes via phone, cell phone, email and text. The primary use of the system is to disseminate messages pertaining to the health or safety of our community, and can include such situations as major fires, flooding, missing persons and road closures. The Fullerton Police Department encourages residents to register now by logging onto www.alertoc.com.
Fullerton Water System
The City’s water system is specifically designed to ensure reliable water supply during firefighting incidents, featuring multiple water sources, emergency power systems, distribution redundancy, and a storage capacity of 67.5 million gallons. Regular investments and maintenance keep these systems ready and resilient. The City’s 4,300 fire hydrants, which surpass CalFire’s flow requirements, are inspected and tested every 2-3 years. The system can provide increased flow during large-scale emergencies through enhanced pumping and multiple connections with Metropolitan Water Districts. Additionally, highly-trained staff can operate backup systems and access 6 neighboring cities’ water systems if needed.https://www.cityoffullerton.com/government/departments/public-works/water-system
Mutual Aid
The City is a member of the California Master Mutual Aid System which provides a statewide framework to enable rapid and efficient sharing of firefighting resources during emergencies. Fire departments voluntarily participate under the California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement to provide personnel, equipment, and expertise. The system is coordinated through the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to offer scalable, organized, and collaborative responses to wildfires, earthquakes, and other large emergencies.
Fire Department Resource Deployment
The Fullerton Fire Department staffs six fire stations strategically located throughout the City. Each station currently houses one fire apparatus with four fire personnel on each apparatus consisting of a Fire Captain, Fire Engineer, and two Firefighters. Five of the six apparatus provide Advanced Life Support (ALS). Every member of the fire department participates in annual wildland, radio communication, and swift water rescue training with surrounding agencies and carry the appropriate personal protective equipment and gear to get the job done safely. In addition, Chief Officers consisting of the fire departments who reside in San Bernadino, Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties meet quarterly to discuss upcoming weather events and previous experiences, verify communications, strategies, and resource availability across the region so that the fire department personnel who are managing large scale incidents have the situational awareness to be successful.
https://www.cityoffullerton.com/government/departments/fire/about-us/fire-station-locations-fire-apparatus
Weather Watch
The City actively monitors weather conditions and events using Fullerton-specific zip codes, resources from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and forecast data from https://www.weather.gov/ . This tailored information enables us to communicate effectively with City staff and the community via the City’s website and social media platforms, ensuring everyone can plan, prepare, respond, and recover from potential weather impacts.
As part of the Orange County Operational Area, the City receives hazard alerts communicated to all cities and jurisdictions. During weather events, the City also monitors the Public Safety Power Shut-off (PSPS) Portal through Southern California Edison (SCE) to assess the potential for PSPS events within the area. If impacts are anticipated, internal and external notifications are promptly issued.
The Irvine Ranch Conservancy is vital in providing specialty training for Orange County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers who can be deployed to high-risk fire areas within a City or County based on Red Flag conditions. These community members provide Fire Watch to report suspicious activity, fire risks, and other potential hazards to areas within the City’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.
To mitigate risks, fire personnel are strategically “prepositioned” in fire and flood/debris flow prone areas, enabling rapid fire detection and efficient resource deployment. Additionally, the City leverages Alert California cameras https://alertcalifornia.org/ positioned throughout the state. During wind events, these cameras, in combination with volunteers, local officials, and AI technology, are used to identify and respond to fires before they grow.
Community Fire Prevention
Reducing the risk of emergencies to our citizens, businesses, and our first responders is critical to the fire department mission. As it relates to vegetation fires, the City has an area which has been designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Annually, the fire department sends out 3,500 mailers to residents in this area on methods to reduce their risk to fire through weed abatement, housing construction/modification, and general housekeeping. In addition, our fire prevention specialists completed 1,500 life safety inspections while our fire engine crews performed over 2,600 additional inspections in 2024. These inspections are intended to make sure the owners, occupants, and first responders of businesses, schools, apartment complexes, and places of assembly are safe and resilient.
https://www.cityoffullerton.com/government/departments/fire/prevention/weed-abatement
Community Preparedness
The City employs a multi-pronged approach to enhance community readiness. Community volunteers are trained through the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, which fosters preparedness and emergency/disaster readiness among residents and their neighborhoods. This 20-hour, in-depth training equips volunteers to address critical community needs, including emergency water distribution, care and shelter management, fire watch, and donation coordination.
In addition, the City offers LISTOS Training in English and Spanish. This 8-hour program provides essential disaster readiness information and can be customized for specific groups, such as older residents, to address their unique needs. LISTOS is presented to City staff as a lunch-and-learn series to promote readiness and resiliency for all staff throughout the City.
To reach younger audiences, the City offers “Prepare with Pedro” preparedness programs to 1st and 2nd grade students, encouraging children to share safety knowledge with their families.
Furthermore, a TEEN CERT program has been adopted in collaboration with local high schools, empowering teens to participate in community preparedness.
Each program emphasizes the importance of basic preparedness and readiness, ensuring that all community members are equipped to respond to emergencies, are portable, and can be presented in various formats to meet the community's needs. For more information, contact (714) 446-1454.
https://www.cityoffullerton.com/government/departments/fire/emergency-management/emergency-preparedness
Emergency Recovery
Once the disaster has been stabilized due to response deployment, the recovery process begins and depending on the magnitude of the incident, the time and intricacies of this process may be elongated and more complex. Partnerships with local, state, and federal officials along with local businesses and community groups are paramount to this effort. Working through the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), this process will be direct and flexible enough to address the needs and challenges that face our citizens and businesses in their time of despair. A strong foundation of preparedness will aid the path to normalcy.
Mitigate the Risk! Optimize the Response! Maximize Resilience!
