Pasadena Announces First-Ever Citywide Evacuation Plan, Calls on Residents to Be Up to Speed in Disaster Preparedness

The Pasadena Fire Department hired one of the top consultants in the nation to assist with developing a citywide evacuation plan in case of disaster. 

The first-ever evacuation plan for Pasadena was developed over an 18-month process, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said Thursday.

The City has also hired a full-time Emergency Manager, Augustin said. He did not identify the individual.

The new Emergency Manager will start in October, and she will have the framework from the evacuation plan to hit the ground running to make Pasadena a more prepared city, he said.

Augustin’s announcement comes on the heels of the recent disaster in Lahaina, Maui.

At least 111 people – including children – were killed in last week’s catastrophic wildfires and at least 1,000 others are still missing. 

Augustin said the disaster provides for a timely reminder that community members be better prepared should Pasadena face a large disaster. 

“While Pasadena may have different threats than Maui, similar events can occur anywhere. The Pasadena Fire Department, along with other city department partners are working hard to keep our community safe. Despite best efforts to keep our community safe, there are considerable risks, from rapidly spreading wildfires to no-notice events such as an earthquake,” Augustin said in a memo to the City Council.  

In Lahaina, many residents had only a couple of minutes to evacuate which forced many people to flee with only the clothes on their backs. 

Augustin suggests residents have a plan and a “go bag” with the essentials one person needs to survive for up to 72 hours. 

Some examples of what should be in your bag include phone charger, cash, water, prescription medications, a first aid kit, a whistle, a flashlight, and a special go bag for your pets. 

Go to https://www.ready.gov/kit for more details on your go kit. 

In addition to a go bag, it is extremely important to have a primary and secondary route for evacuation; this includes keeping those transportation vehicles properly charged and/or fueled. 

“While the City of Pasadena employees are working hard to ensure Pasadena stays a safe city, the odds are high that we will have a disaster in our lifetime,” Augustin said. “Individual preparedness and planning may be the difference in life and death. Take the time to become more prepared to stay healthy and safe when the disaster happens.”

Annually, fire personnel perform over 4,000 residential inspections in the “very high severity fire hazard zones.” 

These residences are considered to have the highest risk of fire spread and destruction in the event of a wildfire. the Pasadena Fire Department’s goal is to partner with the community to assist in finding ways to harden their homes against wildfire. 

The Pasadena Fire Department also has agreements with all neighboring fire agencies to assist the city in a time of need. 

The department is also assisted by water-dropping helicopters during a fire which can quickly limit the spread of fires, especially in areas where it is difficult for fire personnel to physically respond. 

The Pasadena Fire Department also works with local, state, and federal authorities on fire early warning detection systems. 

These systems use satellite technology to quickly identify a fire and alert resources. 

Over the last year, there have been more than 100 hours of disaster training hosted in Pasadena. These training courses have provided excellent opportunities for many city departments to bolster their disaster preparedness knowledge, as well as work through managing large-scale simulated disasters. 

According to Chief Augustin, there are not enough resources available in a disaster to properly care for Pasadena on their own; therefore, it is vitally important that community members are trained to be an extension of emergency workers. 

Historically, a large part of this education was provided through the Community Emergency Response Team (“CERT”) and Map Your Neighborhood trainings. 

These trainings provided an excellent education on disaster planning to our community. 

During the pandemic, these trainings were canceled; however these training courses were reinstituted in the past year. 

At the completion of CERT training, members have the basic framework to be better prepared to care for themselves, their family, and their community in the event of a disaster. In the event of a large-scale emergency, Pasadena utilizes NIXLE and PLEAS (Pasadena Local Emergency Alert System) for emergency notifications to our community. 

To receive NIXLE alerts text your zipcode to 888777.  To sign up for PLEAS notifications, click here.