In 2024, Woodside Fire Protection District, our local fire protection agency, passed a regulation requiring all residences in the district to make their properties more fire resilient, focusing on removing fire hazards from around homes, especially in the first five feet.

The LCA board of directors established a Wildfire Preparation Committee to investigate the wildfire risks we have as a community, determine what was required by the WFPD regulation, and explore what could be done to improve our wildfire resilience as a community.

As a result of this effort, we determined that group action to reduce fire risks was important, and that it would be beneficial to join with WFPD in making our neighborhood safer.  Firewise USA is a program that focuses on volunteers in the community to band together to help the entire neighborhood more safe from wildfires.

The Ladera Firewise team was formed as an arm of the existing Emergency Preparation organization, to bring a focus on preparing for wildfire, in addition to earthquakes and other disaster scenarios.