"I only looked away for a few seconds..."

That's what firefighters have heard from heartbroken parents whose children tragically drowned in their own backyard swimming pool.  As the summer heat rises, it's a good time to make sure that your pool is secure at all times.  Read our Pool Safety Checklist and Drowning Prevention Tips to learn more.

Keep Your Home and Yourself Safe from Wildfire with the new Ready! Set! Go! Wildfire Action Plan.

Need a Brush Clearance Vendor?

Click HERE for a list of vendors available throughout the County of Los Angeles

This website is best viewed in Internet Explorer 6 or higher.

Dear Friends,

All of us at your Los Angeles County Fire Department wish you a safe and happy summer. As our local weather heats up, staying safe at poolside becomes of paramount importance to your local County firefighters.

Your property may also be situated in an area frequently threatened by wildfire. The next several months will be a dangerous time of year for destructive wildfires, as grasses and other existing vegetation continue to dry out through the summer season. After another dry winter with only two-thirds of our normal rainfall, we are facing a continuing drought. While the average annual amount of rainfall for Los Angeles County is15 inches, we only received a total of 9 inches during the 2009 rain season.

While the hillsides may still look green in some areas, several layers of dead and extremely dry brush lie just underneath. We expect the “fuel moisture” levels in brush areas to reach critical levels this fall, when the Santa Ana winds return to our region.

This year, we have a new program called “READY! SET! GO!” to help make your home and landscaping more fire-resistive.  It includes a 12-page Wildfire Action Plan and a series of checklists to create your own Family Disaster Plan.  It will also explain why leaving early – well ahead of a fast-approaching wildfire – gives your family the best chance of surviving a wildfire.  Please download and read this publication now, and then take action before the fires arrive.  Your actions will make a difference and may even save your property – and your lives – from a devastating wildfire.

If you have questions please contact your local fire station or call the Los Angeles County Fire Department at (323) 881-2411.

Sincerely,

Chief Freeman's Biography | Creating a Home Evacuation Plan | Brush Clearance Tips