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ALCO D3 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DAY | | | | |
October 18 / Saturday / 10AM-2:30PM / Free
Hosted in partnership with Alameda County D3* Supervisor Lena Tam’s Office, the Alameda County Fire Department, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, and the City of San Leandro.
Join us for presentations, workshops, and a resource fair – Team OFSC will be participating in the resource fair and OFSC President, Elizabeth Stage, will be delivering the keynote speech!
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- Free admission
- Free lunch (first come, first served)
- Free emergency kit (provided to the first 300 households. Limit one per household. To receive a kit, participation in all workshops is required.)
| | * Note: Alameda County District 3 includes a portion of Central/East Oakland west of 580, and some of the downtown. | | | | |
JOIN US ONLINE – WEDNESDAY EVENING 10/15 | | | |
OFSC MEETING (ONLINE)
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
7:00-8:30pm
REGISTER
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Meeting AGENDA. October's special presentation will be an update on CA Board of Forestry Decision on Zone 0 Regulations: Christophe Marcant, OFSC Board. We welcome everyone from all communities of Oakland and the East Bay to observe, participate and/or get involved.
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OAKLAND'S LAMASNA FIREWISE COMMUNITY | | | | The Larry-Mastlands Neighborhood Association (LaMasNA) includes 47 homes in a compact location which borders some empty forested areas, including the Sausal creek bed and Marjorie Saunders Park, the creek bed on Larry Lane, and Spees Canyon. Naturally, there was concern about wildfire safety... | | |
Justin Graham, resident lead, shared that "Applying for Firewise certification might have been easier for us than for most", given their neighborhood's long history of collaboration and community events.
Though LaMasNA received recognition for what they already had been doing as a community, there’s still a lot more to do... See the whole story
| | | | See how OFSC can help your neighborhood group with the NFPA Firewise USA® recognition process – visit our program page FIREWISE USA® FOR OAKLAND | | | | |
OAKLAND FIREWISE GROUPS CONDUCT JOINT EVACUATION DRILL | | |
CABS and LaMasNa Plus Firewise groups hit the streets Saturday,10/4, with the first joint evacuation drill! This grassroots effort brought neighbors together to practice emergency preparedness in the real world.
Oakland Firesafe Council helped coordinate the meetup spot at Merritt College and shared safety resources! Read all about it
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Zone 0’s Last Stand: Sacramento Hearing Sets the Stage for October 10 Rewrite
After the loud opposition turnout in Altadena on 9/18, the Sacramento Zone 0 hearing on 9/22 felt like the last round. Supporters once again brought the science: firefighters, wildfire experts, and Firewise leaders all pressing the case that the first five feet around a home are decisive in preventing ember ignition. Opponents repeated familiar themes of cost and shade, but the committee president’s closing words cut through: “We are here because of fire, not aesthetics.”
He reaffirmed that state rules must serve as a floor, not a ceiling, and set October 10 as the deadline for the final rewrite. With Governor Newsom’s year-end mandate in place, the future of Zone 0 will soon be decided.
Read the full blog by Christophe Marcant, OFSC Board member
graphic credit: UC ANR Publication 8695
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On September 13th, Team OFSC attended the Wildfire Preparedness Event & Fire Station 25 Open House along with Councilmembers Janani Ramachandran and Zac Unger, County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, and the Oakland Fire Department. The event celebrated the reopening of Station 25, highlighted the importance of wildfire preparedness from local and regional fire prevention officials, and provided critical information about the AC Alert program.
For the first time in over 20 years every Oakland fire station is fully operational!
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Pictured is a screenshot of the alert sent out by the MyShake app in the early morning of September 22nd.
Earthquake Warning California is the country’s first publicly available, statewide warning system that could give California residents crucial seconds to take cover before you feel shaking. Download the free MyShake app
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International ShakeOut Day – At 10:16 a.m. (local time) on Thursday, 10/16, you can join millions of people across the world practicing earthquake safety drills at work, school, or home. Learn more at shakeout.org
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New Earthquake Preparedness Resources from Listos California – practical and approachable tips for how to best prepare communities for earthquakes. Available in multiple languages. Visit their Earthquake Resource Hub
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RESILIENT NEIGHBORHOODS NETWORK KICK-OFF | | Creating an Interdependent Network of Prepared Neighborhoods in Oakland | | |
The Resilient Neighborhoods Network is a growing collective of interdependent neighborhood associations in the Bay Area who are dedicated to building collective resilience through community connection, preparedness, and mutual support.
According to organizer Shirah Wagner, "Our inaugural event went really well! In total we had 22 people from 16 neighborhoods. 12 in Oakland, plus one in each: Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and San Jose. District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger was there, as well Assistant Emergency Manager Olga Crowe, and of course Doug Mosher, OFSC Vice Chair.
Over drinks and snacks, we mingled, played a game of Disaster Would You Rather, and discussed how we could support each other in our neighborhood preparedness efforts under the umbrella of the Resilient Neighborhoods Network. We now have a virtual central hub, a WhatsApp group, and a directory - all of which we'd love to share with anyone else who's interested in joining.
Our next meeting will happen sometime between November and January – anyone who might be interested in joining or learning more or sharing resources, is welcome to get in touch with me at any time at shirah@resilientpeeps.com"
Shirah also invites everyone to share this presentation freely.
| | | | Oakland is home to numerous neighborhood associations, Firewise communities, and self-led preparedness initiatives. Let’s unite! If you’re interested in learning more or attending a meeting, please reach out to Shirah Wagner at shirah@resilientpeeps.com | | | | |
CITY OF OAKLAND WORKSHOP: BUILD RESILIENCE | | | | |
The City of Oakland invites you to join them for an interactive workshop designed to help Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Businesses develop and strengthen their Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP).
- In-person
- Thursday, October 30, 2025
- 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
- Media Room, 1605 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, CA 94612
REGISTER
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EBRPD Shares Big News: Fuels Project Complete, Anthony Chabot Regional Park (667 Acres) Article
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United Policyholders (UP) Tip of the Month: Protecting Your Home – take a moment to prepare for what happens after a disaster. Read
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Asm. Buffy Wicks Wildfire Preparedness Day Recap (8/16/25, El Cerrito): Full recordings of each presentation. Practical tools and links to state, local, and nonprofit resources across AD-14. Tips for creating defensible space, preparing for evacuation, and more. Recordings and Resources
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Resilient Landscapes Coalition Webinar Series – Resilient Landscaping: Gardening in the Defensible Space Zone. 4 Part Weekly Bilingual Series. Tuesdays, October 7th,14th, 21st, & 28th, 5:30-6:30pm Register
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NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS – Our newsletter is published once a month, about one week before our third-Wednesday-of-the-month meeting. If you have something you’d like to announce or share, send along a submission by the first Monday of the month for consideration. EMAIL: outreach@oaklandfiresafecouncil.org
- Was this newsletter was forwarded to you? Join our mailing list: SUBSCRIBE
- The next OFSC meeting is Wednesday, November 19th
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Oakland Firesafe Council (OFSC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the risks of wildfire danger to people and property through preparedness education, programs and materials, outreach, advocacy and volunteer opportunities. CONTACT
| | | OFSC free services and communications are received by thousands in Oakland and the East Bay. We're only able to continue doing this with the help of donors like you. | | | Oakland Firesafe Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations are tax-deductible. | | | | |
