(TLP:CLEAR) Eaton and Palisades Fire AAR Highlights Resource Shortages and Real-Time Info Sharing Gaps

Summary: Los Angeles County recently made public an after-action review (AAR) of the Eaton and Palisades fires that killed more than 30 people and burned thousands of homes in January. The AAR, which was completed as an independent effort by the McChrystal Group, calls attention to resource constraints and staffing shortages and gaps in real-time information sharing, among other issues and challenges.

Analyst Note: Importantly, the scope of this AAR is limited to a review of evacuation warnings and orders, public notifications, and the related coordination among county agencies. Operational details, including fire containment tactics, are not within the scope of this report. Therefore, specific information that may be of interest to water utilities, including support to firefighting, is not discussed. The report notes that other entities are completing AARs regarding these efforts.

Still, the AAR is worth reviewing given the general applicability of its findings to disaster scenarios and the involvement of water and wastewater utilities in local emergency management frameworks. In addition to the findings about resource constraints and staffing shortages and gaps in real-time information sharing, the report found that policies and procedures were outdated, unclear and contradictory, and did not clearly spell out roles and responsibilities. While findings like these are common following disasters, they bear repeating.

Original Source: https://lacounty.gov/aar/

Additional Reading:

• LA County response to deadly fires slowed by lack of resources, outdated alert process, report says

Mitigation Recommendations:

• EPA – Incident Action Checklist – Wildfire
• EPA – Wildfire Conditions and Risk Map for Utilities
• EPA – Addressing Contamination of Drinking Water Distribution Systems from VOCs After Wildfires

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 16, 17, & 18