Laguna Beach Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee - April 6, 2026

April 6, 2026

Executive Summary

- The Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee held its regular meeting on April 6, 2026, with presentations on wildfire preparedness, new emergency operations center construction, and community evacuation workshops. - Emergency Manager Sarah reported on a wildfire evacuation tabletop exercise with Laguna Beach Unified School District, the Lahaina documentary screening and panel discussion, Tsunami Week participation, and the quarterly outdoor warning siren test. - Fire Chief Gilmore announced approximately double the number of goats for the vegetation management program at nearly the same cost, new ambulance staffing increases, and upcoming fleet acquisitions including a new ambulance, utilities for backcountry rescues, battalion rigs, and a new fire engine. - The committee discussed gaps in outdoor warning siren coverage, particularly for Canyon Acres and residential areas near Emerald Bay, with three new sirens funded and 10 additional sirens needed for complete coverage. - The committee prioritized guest speakers for future meetings, focusing on wildfire and earthquake preparedness experts including John Miles, Kit Miyamoto, and Watch Duty founder, with Dr. Dodge offering

Key Decisions

- Approved the meeting minutes from March 2026 with two corrections to member names (one E in one name, not two; and correction of another spelling). - Prioritized wildfire and earthquake preparedness as the focus areas for the committee's guest speaker series. - Identified three priority guest speakers: John Miles (wildfire expert), Kit Miyamoto (earthquake/seismic safety expert), and Watch Duty representative. - Approved informal distribution of fire alert flags at evacuation workshops to participants who subscribe to Nixle alerts. - Deferred discussion of bridges and culverts infrastructure