Los Angeles Needs to Fireproof Communities, Not Just Houses
By Matt Reynolds
In recent years, Los Angeles has faced an increasing number of wildfires, resulting in devastating property damage, lost lives, and environmental destruction. Despite extensive efforts to fireproof individual homes, the approach to safeguarding communities as a whole has often been neglected. While fire-resistant materials, firebreaks, and other methods of fortifying buildings have been important, it’s becoming increasingly clear that to truly protect residents and preserve the landscape, LA must adopt a more comprehensive strategy—one that fireproofs entire communities, not just individual homes.
As the frequency and intensity of wildfires grow with climate change, local governments and residents must begin to think beyond their property lines. Communities—defined by their shared infrastructure, resources, and ecosystems—need to be better prepared and more resilient to the increasingly destructive force of wildfires. This article explores why it’s essential for Los Angeles to fireproof entire communities and outlines the key strategies that can be implemented to protect both property and lives.
The Current Focus: Individual Homes
Over the past two decades, fire safety has largely been centered on fireproofing homes. Measures like fire-resistant roofing materials, defensible space regulations (which dictate how much space must be cleared around a house to prevent fires from spreading), and spark arresters on chimneys are all valuable tools in reducing the risk of a home catching fire. However, these efforts have primarily focused on individual properties rather than the broader community context.
While it’s crucial to ensure that homes are built with fire-resistant materials and are well-maintained, this strategy only works if the surrounding environment is also fireproof. A house on its own may have every fire safety feature available, but if the neighborhood is densely packed with overgrown vegetation, poorly maintained infrastructure, and roads that are difficult to access for emergency responders, the house’s fire-resistant features might not be enough to save it when disaster strikes.
Moreover, many neighborhoods in Los Angeles are situated in areas where wildfires are a significant risk, such as in the foothills and canyons. Fireproofing individual homes, while necessary, is insufficient if entire neighborhoods lack access to resources, infrastructure, and coordinated emergency response systems that can prevent wildfires from escalating.
The Expanding Threat of Wildfires
Wildfires in California are becoming more frequent, larger, and more destructive. A combination of climate change, prolonged droughts, and urban sprawl has created the perfect storm for wildfires to thrive. According to Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the state has seen a sharp increase in the number of acres burned each year. In 2020, California experienced its largest fire season on record, with over 4 million acres scorched by flames. Los Angeles, with its proximity to both urban areas and wildlands, is particularly vulnerable to this rising tide of fire-related destruction.
What makes the threat even more dangerous is the fact that many of these fires are unpredictable, quickly spreading due to high winds and dry conditions. Firefighters often find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the flames and the difficulty of accessing certain areas, particularly in remote or hilly neighborhoods where infrastructure is insufficient to withstand a large-scale disaster.
The devastation wrought by wildfires is not just about the destruction of individual properties; it’s about the community infrastructure that gets wiped out—power lines, water systems, transportation networks, and critical services that enable people to survive and rebuild after a disaster. When communities are ill-prepared, the impact of wildfires extends far beyond physical damage, as economic disruptions, displacement, and psychological trauma often last for years.
Why Fireproofing Communities Is the Answer
Fireproofing communities—rather than focusing solely on individual homes—is crucial for several reasons. First, wildfires don’t respect property lines. When a fire starts in a wildland area, it spreads quickly and indiscriminately, jumping from one house to the next and crossing over roads, power lines, and other infrastructure. By taking a more holistic approach, we can ensure that entire neighborhoods are better equipped to prevent fires from taking hold in the first place.
Additionally, fireproofing entire communities involves a focus on the broader ecosystem and community resources. This means creating defensible spaces around neighborhoods, strengthening fire breaks between urban areas and wildlands, and ensuring that key infrastructure, such as roads and power lines, are resistant to fire damage. By addressing these issues on a larger scale, we can better equip communities to weather the storm when a wildfire strikes.
Here are several key strategies that can be implemented to fireproof entire communities:
- Improved Community Planning and Zoning
One of the first steps in fireproofing communities is ensuring that new development is built with fire safety in mind. In Los Angeles, many neighborhoods are located in high-risk fire zones, yet development continues in these areas without enough consideration for wildfire risk. Zoning laws and building codes should be updated to reflect fire safety concerns. For example, communities should avoid building in areas that are too close to wildland interfaces, and homes in high-risk zones should be constructed using fire-resistant materials.
Urban planning should also focus on reducing fuel loads around urban areas. This includes maintaining green spaces, parks, and roadways with fire-resistant vegetation that won’t easily catch fire. By creating strategic fire breaks and defensible zones between neighborhoods and wildlands, we can help slow the spread of wildfires and protect vital infrastructure.
- Strengthening Infrastructure
Fireproofing communities isn’t just about the buildings themselves; it’s about the infrastructure that connects them. Roads, bridges, power lines, water systems, and communication networks are all vulnerable during a wildfire. When these systems are damaged, it can make it much more difficult for emergency responders to reach people in need, which delays evacuation and relief efforts.
Investing in fire-resistant infrastructure should be a priority for Los Angeles. This includes reinforcing power lines with fire-resistant coatings, upgrading water systems to ensure that there is enough water pressure for firefighting efforts, and ensuring that access roads are wide enough and properly maintained for emergency vehicles. Moreover, communities should also have redundant systems in place—such as backup power supplies and communication networks—that can remain operational even if primary systems are damaged by fire.
- Creating Wildfire Management Programs
A major part of fireproofing communities is managing the surrounding land. Los Angeles can adopt a more comprehensive approach to wildfire management by working with local and state agencies to create controlled burns, reduce dead vegetation, and promote fire-resistant landscaping in public spaces. These efforts help reduce fuel loads, which are one of the primary causes of wildfires spreading quickly.
In addition, communities should have access to education and training programs that teach residents how to make their homes and property more fire-resistant. This could include workshops on creating defensible space, reducing fire risks, and creating emergency evacuation plans. Public awareness campaigns can also help residents understand the importance of fireproofing their homes and neighborhoods as part of a broader community effort to mitigate wildfire risks.
- Collaborative Emergency Response Plans
Finally, communities must work together to create collaborative, regional emergency response plans. Wildfires don’t stay confined to one neighborhood or city; they spread across vast areas, often crossing county and state lines. That’s why cities like Los Angeles must coordinate efforts with neighboring areas, law enforcement, emergency services, and environmental organizations to prepare for wildfire seasons.
Emergency plans should involve clear evacuation routes, shelter locations, and coordination between local and state responders. Regular fire drills and simulations can also help ensure that residents and first responders are prepared for the worst-case scenario. Having these plans in place can make a huge difference when lives are on the line.
