In response to the devastating Eaton Fire, which resulted in displacement within La Cañada Flintridge and the tragic loss of life and significant property damage in neighboring communities, the City Council directed an independent, third-party review of the City’s emergency preparedness and response. On January 20, the consultant presented an After-Action Report (AAR) that identified operational strengths and areas for improvement.

This page serves as the City’s public dashboard to keep the community informed on the status of each AAR action item. Progress is updated regularly using clearly defined status indicators so residents can see where work is complete, in progress, under review or scheduled to begin.

Transparency and accountability are central to this process. We encourage the community to review the full After-Action Report and use this page to stay informed as we continue strengthening La Cañada Flintridge’s preparedness and resilience.

Five Key Areas of Focus

The After-Action Report organizes its findings into five major components of emergency management. The following sampling of priorities represents our commitment to turning the challenges experienced in 2025 into actionable safety improvements:

EOC Operations & Governance

We are refining our internal structure and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation levels to ensure our leadership team remains synchronized with County and regional partners throughout an incident.

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  • Completed: Formalize EOC activation, internal briefing and after-hours protocols.
  • Completed: Strengthen internal coordination and communication with non-EOC City staff.
  • Completed: Ensure Director-level representation at the Incident Command Post.
  • Completed: Strengthen the Liaison Officer function and formalize City EOC-to-County communication pathways.
  • Completed: Improve City staff understanding of alerting tools and emergency communication systems.
  • On Track: Clarify City elected official roles.
  • On Track: Implement standardized communication protocols for all City departments during activations.
  • On Track: Expand City staffing depth and resilience for extended or 24-hour EOC operations.
  • On Track: Improve redundancy and reliability of City staff communication tools and power sources.
  • On Track: Strengthen community-facing communication to address gaps between staff and public perceptions.
  • On Track: Use cross-audience survey feedback as a standing input to City EOC improvement and training design.
  • On Track: Enhance internal situational awareness to ensure consistent understanding of real-time field conditions.
  • On Track: Improve City staff awareness of where to find critical emergency information.
  • Pending: Develop a Citywide emergency readiness refresher for staff.
  • Pending: Expand training and exercises to address identified operational gaps.

Public Information & Warning

To reduce confusion, we are clarifying the specific roles of our alert systems and developing an emergency web hub that will be updated the moment an incident begins.

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  • Completed: Deploy a pre-built emergency web hub template.
  • Completed: Establish a consistent schedule and delivery process for Mayor’s Messages and emergency updates.
  • On Track: Define and communicate the role of Alert LCF’s role and launch a “Know Your Alerts” campaign.
  • On Track: Develop clear jurisdictional FAQs and staff scripts.
  • On Track: Develop a public education initiative on evacuation zones and alert functionality.
  • Pending: Expand non-digital and redundant public warning methods.

Evacuation, Access & Security

We are updating our traffic management plans to better account for dark intersections and road blockages, while working with the Sheriff’s Department to increase visible security in evacuated neighborhoods.

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  • Completed: Enhance City liaison coordination with County and Area C.
  • On Track: Strengthen coordination and public messaging around security during evacuations.
  • On Track: Clarify and communicate evacuation warning and order criteria.
  • On Track: Standardize operational updates to partner agencies.
  • On Track: Improve internal situational awareness with structured field reporting.
  • On Track: Develop a public evacuation and repopulation map in coordination with the ICP.
  • Pending: Integrate traffic constraints and outage conditions into evacuation planning.
  • Pending: Expand AFN-focused evacuation planning and outreach.
  • Pending: Align City EOC activation levels with County posture when appropriate.
  • Pending: Establish and promote pet and animal evacuation support procedures.

Debris Management & Recovery

To speed up the return to normalcy, we are standardizing cleanup instructions and coordinating with waste haulers to ensure debris disposal is clear and organized from day one.

Road closed due to debris
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  • On Track: Strengthen coordination with utilities and County Public Works.
  • On Track: Improve internal situational awareness tools for debris operations.
  • Pending: Develop a standard recovery information package for residents.
  • Pending: Create a debris management communication annex.
  • Pending: Expand debris drop-off options and staging resources.
  • Pending: Provide clearer guidance on debris categories and disposal rules.
  • Pending: Publish recovery timelines and progress updates.
  • Pending: Develop tailored recovery communication protocols for businesses and institutions.
  • Pending: Enhance public communication about post-fire safety hazards.

Preparedness, Training & Mitigation

We are expanding our community outreach to help households prepare for cascading hazards, such as windstorms occurring during active fires or power shutoffs.

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  • Completed: Align public outreach and internal training with preparedness gaps.
  • On Track: Expand City staffing depth and conduct a resource readiness assessment.
  • On Track: Strengthen preparedness outreach by expanding tailored messaging and improving visibility of resources.
  • Pending: Support business and partner-agency preparedness and continuity planning.
  • Pending: Increase participation in community preparedness programs.
  • Pending: Develop multi-hazard and cascading-event preparedness materials.