California Is in Peak Fire Season, Make Sure You and Your Family Are Prepared.

California is in the peak months of fire season. It’s important now more than ever that you and your family are prepared for a wildfire, or other emergency. 

The City of Lake Forest, Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), and Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) created an in-depth system to identify areas that require evacuation. They also developed a variety of tools to provide accurate and timely information to residents in the event of an emergency.

OCSD and OCFA use evacuation zones to notify residents when to be ready and when to go. Knowing your zone is a key part of emergency preparation. The city created an interactive map at https://www.lakeforestca.gov/1042/wildfires for residents to enter their address and confirm their evacuation zone. 

Ensuring you receive timely and accurate information about an emergency is another critical aspect of being prepared. The City of Lake Forest and its partners offer several ways to receive emergency alerts and news so you can be proactive.

AlertOC is a tool OCFA and OCSD use to send official, critical information. It distributes emergency alerts through emails, texts, or voice calls to any city, or neighborhood, in the county during an emergency. You can register at www.alertoc.org. AlertOC is geographically based, so update your information if you've recently moved locations. 

NIXLE is an additional service the city uses to distribute emergency alerts through emails, texts, or voice calls. It also gives city officials the ability to send messages to residents. NIXLE was an important information tool in past years when residents in Baker Ranch and Portola Hills were evacuated during wildfires. You can register at https://bit.ly/nixlelakeforest.

The city also actively posts on a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Nextdoor. Nextdoor will send emergency alerts to the provided mobile phone number during registration. You can register for Nextdoor alerts by visiting https://bit.ly/lfnextdoor.

The city offers other ways to get information for residents who are not active on social media. Residents can tune into Lake Forest TV on COX channel 851. If you’re not a COX subscriber, the Lake Forest radio broadcasts, within city limits, on AM 1690. The radio also streams online at https://bit.ly/lakeforestam1690. Both channels are updated during emergencies.

The city hotline is another crucial tool that is activated during emergencies, it can be reached at 949-461-3536. The recorded line is updated frequently for up to the minute accurate information during emergencies.

The City of Lake Forest works closely with its partners at the fire authority and sheriff’s department to minimize the risk of emergencies as much as possible – and works just as hard to ensure residents can get critical, accurate information when they need it most.

Lake Forest deputies are committed to maintaining the safety of Lake Forest. In an emergency, call 911, and for non-emergency incidents, call (949) 770-6011.