Emergency Ready: How Irvine is Safeguarding Its Community

The City of Irvine is committed to safeguarding its community through comprehensive emergency preparedness and response efforts.

Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility. Irvine residents are encouraged to sign up for the AlertOC notification system to receive real-time updates during emergencies. At any time, community members can access an evacuation zone map online that easily breaks down evacuation zones and types by all neighborhood locations. Additionally, a unique Hi/Lo siren will be used in the case of an emergency to alert residents of the need to evacuate. When emergency alerts are issued, the City will include a link to its real-time evacuation map that provides residents with the locations of the current threat, type of evacuation orders issued, and evacuation routes.

Below is a list of informational updates on how the City of Irvine is working with its partners to be an emergency-ready community.

Orange County Fire Authority

The City partners with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) to enhance fire protection and emergency services in the community. OCFA is a regional fire service agency that serves 23 Orange County cities and all unincorporated areas and protects nearly 2 million residents from its 78 fire stations located throughout the county. Advanced equipment, well-trained personnel, and robust communication channels enable swift action in the event of an emergency, such as a wildfire. For more information, please visit the Orange County Fire Authority website.

Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management is led by the Emergency Management Manager. This office is responsible for coordinating the training, planning, and management of major emergencies or natural and man-made disasters.

To better prepare City personnel and members of the Irvine community in the event of an emergency, the bureau actively participates in local, county, state, and federal exercises utilizing a highly trained staff and state-of-the-art technology.

Emergency management is a process that protects communities from hazards, or threats to life or property. This process involves four, often overlapping phases:

1. Prevention/Mitigation is the process of preventing a disaster, or minimizing the negative effects of unavoidable disasters. (Enforcing building codes, building levees to protect potential flood zones, etc.) 
2. Preparedness involves actions taken prior to a disaster that facilitate a better response. (Training, conducting drills, developing plans, and acquiring resources to aid in response)
3. Response is the actual action taken during or immediately following a disaster to protect life and property. (Fire fighters responding to a wildfire)
4. Recovery is the long term process of restoring a community to the same conditions that existed prior to an emergency or better. (Providing physical and psychological support, and rebuilding damaged structures)

City of Irvine Wildfire Preparedness

The City of Irvine employs a comprehensive wildfire preparedness and response strategy through the coordinated efforts of the Irvine Police Department’s Office of Emergency Management, Public Works & Sustainability, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. Year-round fire weather monitoring is conducted in collaboration with the National Weather Service (NWS) and OCFA, with teams attending conference calls and implementing preparedness plans based on forecasts. OCFA and Public Works & Sustainability teams utilize wildfire spread modeling to identify strategic vegetation management locations and assess potential risks while also collecting fuel moisture data to determine wildfire ignition and spread potential. To ensure compliance with the California Fire Code 4907, Public Works & Sustainability collaborates with OCFA to conduct defensible space inspections throughout the City and is available to conduct additional inspections upon request. Additionally, IPD has established evacuation procedures and zones as part of the “Know Your Zone and Hi/Lo Siren” campaign, providing residents with critical information in case of an emergency.

Public outreach remains a cross-agency priority, promoting the “Ready, Set, Go” wildfire preparedness program. During Red Flag Warning events, IRC deploys Fire Watch personnel to high-risk areas, while the City, OCFA, and IRC monitor the Alert Wildfire camera system for early detection and situational awareness. To further enhance response capabilities, OCFA increases staffing and resources during high-risk events. This collaborative approach ensures that the City of Irvine remains vigilant and prepared to protect its community from wildfire threats.

Public Works & Sustainability maintains an extensive network of fire access roads in the open space. The City also contributes on the County of Orange Wildfire Safety Task Force, a collaborative effort of over 30 agencies and organizations focused on reducing wildfires’ impact through initiatives like a dedicated coastal weather zone, fire cameras, a Fire Watch Network, and a comprehensive Community Wildfire Prevention Plan.

Prepare Irvine

In times of disaster, a trained and informed public is better prepared to protect themselves, their families, their workplace and their neighbors.  The City of Irvine is ready to educate your group and will send a trained Instructor from Prepare Irvine to your location for a 60-minute presentation. 

Topics include general disaster preparedness, city and county hazards, earthquake safety and preparedness, emergency alert systems, reunification planning, and how to assemble an emergency kit. 

Irvine groups eligible to receive a presentation include:

• Childcare providers
• Irvine businesses
• Community organizations
• PTA groups
• Faith-based groups/places of worship
• Public and private schools
• Homeowners Associations
• Senior groups

Please complete the Request for Presentation Form to book your Prepare Irvine presentation. For questions, email Prepare Irvine. 

Fire Hydrants: An Important Part of Your Water Service

There are about 20,000 Irvine Ranch Water District-owned fire hydrants stationed throughout the District’s service area. These fire hydrants and the water distributed from them provide the reliable source of fire protection expected by IRWD customers.

IRWD, like other water suppliers in Orange County, owns and maintains these hydrants to aid the Orange County Fire Authority and other firefighting entities in extinguishing fires that threaten the properties IRWD serves.

How does IRWD prepare its water system for fires?

IRWD coordinates closely with the Orange County Fire Authority and other firefighting entities to prepare for fire and other emergencies. Other precautions include:

• Monitoring: Staff watches local weather patterns and conditions that heighten risk, such as low relative humidity, strong winds, dry fuels, the possibility of lightning strikes and more. Facilities are routinely inspected.
• Water supply: Top off water storage tanks and reservoirs when the risk of fire is high. These tanks use gravity to deliver water to communities at lower elevations. 
• Reservoirs: Irvine Lake and IRWD’s other open reservoirs are used by fire authorities to draw water for fighting wildfires with fixed-wing and rotorcraft air attacks. Local firefighters and emergency response teams also use our reservoirs to practice these maneuvers.
• Power: Permanent generators at pumping stations keep the water flowing to the tanks during power outages. Portable generators can be brought in as needed during long-term outages.
• Maintenance: IRWD actively maintains all hydrants in its system. This includes continuous upkeep, such as testing hydrants and painting them regularly, and replacing any malfunctioning hydrant as quickly as possible.
• Communication: We maintain steady communication with other agencies and first-responders to make sure hazardous conditions are addressed before problems strike.
• Public Safety Power Shutoffs: When Southern California Edison calls a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) and turns off power in high-risk areas, IRWD is ready to continue operating according to all actions taken above. Find more information on PSPS responses here.

Learn more by visiting the Irvine Ranch Water District website. 

For a comprehensive list of emergency management and preparedness resources, please visit cityofirvine.org/prepare.