🔥 Fire Prevention & Safety for La Verne Residents
Fire safety starts at home. Here are some simple steps to protect your family, your home, and your neighborhood in La Verne.
Start with these steps
✔️ STEP 1: 📲 Sign up for Alert LA County
✔️ STEP 2: Check your wildfire zone
✔️ STEP 3: Build an evacuation plan
✔️ STEP 4: Create defensible space
✔️ STEP 5: Prepare an emergency go-bag
Fire season in California isn’t just a summer problem—it’s year-round.
May is National Wildfire Awareness Month—also known as Wildfire Preparedness Month—a reminder to get ready before fire danger peaks. The focus is on reducing risk, creating defensible space around homes, and helping communities stay informed as temperatures rise and vegetation dries out. Risk starts to climb in late spring and typically runs from May through October in Southern California, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
➡️ Learn more about California Fire Season
COMMUNITY TRAINING & EVENTS
Virtual Livestream on Wildfire Safety with SoCal Edison
Thursday, May 21, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Register now
La Verne CERT Training
Aug. 10–29
Classes meet in the LVFD Training Room –2061 Third St., La Verne
Enroll at lavernecert.org/enroll
Questions? Contact: lavernecert.org/contact
➡️ Join the Rustic Canyon Community Group on Nextdoor to learn more about becoming a Firewise neighborhood.
In case of emergency, call 9-1-1
Administration: (909) 596-5991
www.lavernefire.org
What La Verne Residents Should Know
- La Verne hasn’t had a major wildfire within City limits recently.
- Residents can be impacted by smoke, outages and ember risk.
- The foothill location increases seasonal wildfire exposure.
- Some neighborhoods fall within moderate to very high hazard zones.
Wildfire Preparedness and Risk Reduction in La Verne
The City of La Verne faces a high level of annual wildfire risk due to its proximity to surrounding wildland areas and designated Moderate, High, and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
Although La Verne has not experienced a major wildfire within city limits, residents continue to feel the effects of regional fire events through smoke exposure, power outages and economic disruptions, according to Lonnie Shipman, community risk reduction specialist with the La Verne Fire Department. Shipman said the City’s wildfire risk extends beyond direct flames, noting that ember-driven ignitions and indirect impacts remain ongoing concerns each fire season.
Learn How La Verne Residents are Working Together
After years of devastating California wildfires, one La Verne neighborhood is taking proactive steps—and inviting others to learn how to do the same.
Staci Baird
If you live in a High Hazard severity zone, Shipman recommends you learn more about the Firewise program. "This is truly the best way for our residents in the High Fire Hazard Severity Zones to take more control."
➡️ Learn more about Firewise USA and join the Rustic Canyon Community Group on Nextdoor.
La Verne’s CERT program gives volunteers the skills—and confidence—to respond to disasters.
Staci Baird
Learn More
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Get Ready, Set, Go
The “Ready, Set, Go!” program, developed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, helps residents prepare for wildfires before an emergency happens.
“Ready” focuses on creating defensible space, hardening homes against embers and building emergency plans.
“Set” encourages residents to stay alert to fire weather conditions, pack go-bags and prepare for possible evacuations.
“Go” emphasizes leaving early when evacuation orders are issued to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion for emergency responders.
WATCH
READ & TAKE ACTION
Know your risk
In March 2025, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection released an updated wildfire hazard map for La Verne that identify areas with Moderate, High and Very High wildfire risk.
➡️ Check your property using the Fire Hazard Severity Zone map
County of Los Angeles Emergency Map
This page includes information on road closures, evacuations, resources for impacted residents, and animal shelters.
Prepare Your Home
By combining community awareness with individual preparedness and home hardening measures, residents can significantly reduce vulnerability and improve resilience against wildfire threats.
Lonnie Shipman, community risk reduction specialist with the La Verne Fire Department encourages residents to take these steps to reduce risk and improve safety.
Create and maintain defensible space
Clear vegetation and flammable debris within at least 100 feet of structures, with increased attention to the first five feet immediately surrounding the home.
Watch
➡️ Learn more about creating defensible space
Harden your home against embers
Wind-driven embers remain one of the biggest wildfire threats to homes in La Verne, according to Shipman. Embers can travel far ahead of a wildfire, igniting roofs, vents, landscaping and other vulnerable areas—even outside active burn zones.
Install ember-resistant vents and enclose eaves, focusing on metal mesh screening 1/8 of an inch and smaller, use Class A fire-rated roofing materials, and eliminate combustible materials near the structure. Ensure all doors have proper fire-rated door seals and sweeps, including your garage door.
➡️ Learn more: How to Install Wildfire Defense Mesh on Vents
Prepare for disruptions and stay informed
Anticipate potential power outages, limited emergency access, and evacuation needs during wildfire events. Maintain emergency supplies and a family evacuation plan.
Monitor fire weather conditions, Red Flag Warnings, and local emergency alerts during fire season.
➡️ Check SoCal Edison outage status
📲 Sign up for Alert LA County
➡️ Request a Red Cross Wildfire Preparedness Home Visit - Red Cross volunteers will provide wildfire safety education, including how to sign up for emergency alerts, create evacuation plans and maintain defensible space around homes.
The American Red Cross Adult Preparedness Programs
Be Red Cross Ready a 30 minute to one-hour general presentation for adult audiences. This presentation shows participants how to make an emergency kit, family plan, and be informed. Participants also learn the correct actions to take during a disaster such as an earthquake, home fires, and wildfires.
Be Red Cross Ready-Older Adults is a 30-minute presentation intended for senior audiences. This presentation focuses on what seniors need to do to be better prepared for disasters. They will learn the correct ac-
tions to take during an earthquake or home fire and how to get a kit, make a plan, and be informed.
➡️ Request a Red Cross presentation online or email preparedness.losangeles.CA@redcross.org
Family Resources
The American Red Cross "Prepare with Pedro" program for youth
The Prepare with Pedro program offers free online resources in English and Spanish designed to help young children and families learn emergency preparedness through games, activities and safety lessons.
➡️ Prepare with Pedro Home Fire storybook, download the PDF in English, or Spanish
Additional Resources
CDC
Special thanks to Community Risk Reduction Specialist Lonnie Shipman with the La Verne Fire Department, and Raymond Swain and Jim Gilmartin with the Rustic Canyon Firewise group for their suggestions, resources and input on this project.