Spotlight June 2025: When Fire and Water Do Mix by ACWA Staff Jun 27, 2025 Newsletters Palmdale Water District staff and leadership gather with members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department following their “Let’s Talk H2O! Water During Wildfires” event in March, which resulted from a partnership between the water district and fire department. Photo courtesy of Palmdale Water District Water Agencies Partner with Fire Departments to Maximize Wildfire Preparedness In fire-prone California, collaboration between water agencies and fire departments is nothing new. But after catastrophic wildfires razed entire neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area in January, those partnerships are taking on a higher profile as the 2025 wildfire season moves into summer. Southern California water agencies feature prominently among many examples of this renewed collaboration, but partnerships can be found throughout California. And many partnerships have formed over years of previous catastrophes. For example, the December 2017 Thomas Fire and catastrophic debris flows that followed devastated the Montecito community through a one-two punch that illustrated the often non-stop nature of disaster response and preparedness. There, the Montecito Water District and Montecito Fire Department have a long history of collaboration. “For us, there’s never a rest time. We’re either preparing or we’re responding,” said Montecito Water District Public Information Officer Laura Camp. “Each event is unique.” Below are summaries of a few among numerous collaborative projects undertaken by water agencies and fire departments successfully working together. Partnerships In San Diego County, ACWA member agencies Santa Fe Irrigation, Olivenhain Municipal Water and San Dieguito Water districts are working in close collaboration with at least four local fire departments to prepare adequate resources to ensure swift responses if wildfires threaten the area. This includes preparing emergency generators in case of public safety power shutoffs and having water agency staff brief fire crews on fire hydrant locations and water distribution system pressures during ongoing training exercises throughout the year. Public Outreach Olivenhain regularly coordinates with neighboring fire districts and hosts free firewise landscaping workshops for community members, according to the district. It also educates the public on emergency preparedness through publications and in-person events, such as tours, workshops, and community fairs — covering topics like how fire flows are not designed for massive wildfires and reviewing emergency practices. In the Los Angeles area, West Basin Municipal Water District participated in a Peninsula Wildfire Preparedness Town Hall and Expo, joined by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The district also conducts fire-scaping workshops approximately twice a year. Addressing Concerns The Los Angeles fires brought to the forefront concerns and sometimes misinformation about water supply during fires. The Palmdale Water District addressed that issue at its “Let’s Talk H2O! Water During Wildfires” event in March, which brought together district leadership and representatives from the City of Palmdale and Los Angeles County Fire Department. The event informed community members on plans to increase water during fire weather events, designing water systems to meet fire flow requirements for developments and an agreement allowing aircraft to use water from Lake Palmdale. Fire and city officials also covered the topics of hydrants, how fires are fought, the city’s emergency plan and home protection. Infrastructure Several ACWA member agencies have invested in the installation of water dip sites over the years for firefighting helicopters, such as Heli-Hydrants and mobile HeloPods, hooked up to water supplies that can refill them in minutes during wildfires. For example, the Jurupa Community Services District in the Inland Empire area located a Heli-Hydrant that can save Cal Fire helicopters a 20-mile flight to Lake Mathews to refill, increasing fire response time upwards of an hour. The district won ACWA’s 2024 Excellence in Innovation Award for the project. Just this month, the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency joined forces with Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire along with other local agencies to complete the first of six Heli-Hydrants to be installed in its high fire-risk community. Communicating with Insurers Water agencies and fire departments have also collaborated on supporting their community’s residents who face challenges with homeowner’s insurance. Last year, the Vallecitos Water District and San Marcos Fire Department jointly released an open letter that emphasized proactive measures in mitigating wildfire risk through fire protection strategies and innovative water infrastructure. In February, Yorba Linda Water District worked with the Orange County Fire Authority and the City of Yorba Linda to host a representative from the California Insurance Commissioner’s Office to address the difficulties local homeowners were experiencing with insurance providers due to increased fire risk in the region. The partnership also provided a downloadable joint letter for residents to submit to insurers. Statewide Effort In the Sierra Nevada Foothills, ACWA member agencies Calaveras County Water District, Tuolumne Utilities District, Utica Water and Power Authority and Union Public Utility District, along with the Twain Harte Community Services District are implementing a comprehensive approach and engaging local agency and community partners to create a safer and more resilient community. The primary initiative of the group is to develop a comprehensive and coordinated public information campaign aimed at raising awareness about the role that public water agencies play in enhancing wildfire resiliency, illustrated through an informative flyer shared with the community. To the south, the Mammoth Community Water District has teamed up with the Mammoth Lakes Fire Protection District and the Town of Mammoth Lakes to emphasize the importance of prioritizing home hardening and creating defensible space as a first line of defense against ACWA member City of Shasta Lake literally wrote the book on how a community can prepare and prevent wildfires. A 32-page “Shasta Lake Wildfire Information and Preparedness Guide” covers everything from fire-smart landscaping and escape routes to replacing important documents lost to fire and addressing home insurance issues following the L.A. Fires, among numerous topics. Production of the guide, funded through a Cal Fire grant, is one example of the City’s close working relationship with the state firefighting agency Cal Fire and local Shasta Lake Fire Protection District on mitigating fire risk and public education, a collaboration took on renewed importance after the 2018 Carr Fire. Now, it’s an essential part of being prepared in California’s not-if-but-when wildfire reality. “Everyone with a stake in protecting our community from devastating wildfire, from the top down, is on the same page. Fire season is now a year-round reality — it’s time to take action, raise public awareness, and reduce fuel loads,” said City Manager Jessaca Lugo.
