From an Oct. 2 City of Piedmont press release
The Piedmont Fire Department is asking community members to complete a brief survey about disaster preparedness by Oct. 30.
The survey will help us understand:
• how prepared our community is for earthquakes, wildfires, and other disasters
• whether preparedness knowledge and actions have changed since our first community survey in 2024
• where additional outreach, resources, or programming are needed
The survey should take about 5-7 minutes to complete and is available HERE
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2024 survey identified gaps in household preparedness
Our 2024 survey showed that many respondents recognized disaster risk, but had not taken some basic preparedness steps.
Among respondents:
• 73% were registered for AC Alert
• 22% had a current household emergency communication plan
• 34% had a current two-week emergency water supply
• 27% felt confident or very confident in their knowledge of how to prepare for disasters
This year’s survey revisits many of these measures and adds questions reflecting how our preparedness work has evolved, including earthquake safety and steps residents can take to reduce wildfire risk at home.
We’re also asking where people would turn for information during an emergency, what gets in the way of becoming better prepared, and what kinds of resources would be most useful.
Survey to guide future preparedness efforts
Since the 2024 survey, Piedmont Fire has expanded preparedness outreach and community engagement, including:
• Updating Piedmont’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan with extensive community participation
• Increasing education about wildfire home hardening and defensible space, including a series of presentations to community groups
• Conducting a practical wildfire evacuation exercise in the Blair/Scenic/Alta neighborhood and creating an at-home evacuation exercise available to all households
• Continuing year-round outreach on emergency alerts, evacuation readiness, and household preparedness
The survey will help us evaluate where the work is having an impact and identify gaps that remain. It will also establish a stronger baseline for earthquake preparedness as Piedmont Fire looks to expand outreach in this area.
Results will help guide future communications, educational resources, exercises, and community programs.
Complete the survey by Oct. 30.
Find resources and information about preparing for disasters HERE
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