LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – During its board meeting Wednesday, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) board of directors hosted a panel discussion on emergency evacuations in the Tahoe Basin, and proclaimed May as Lake Tahoe Wildfire Preparedness Month by authoring a proclamation.
The panel included decades of combined experience: South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jim Drennan, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Troy Morton who is the county’s emergency services manager. Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley, Don O’Keefe who is the chief of law enforcement for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), and the Washoe County Emergency Management Administrator Kelly Echeverria.
The group reviewed successes and lessons learned during the Angora Fire, the Caldor Fire, the Davis Fire, and other fires that have threatened the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding areas.
There is no “one size fits all” response to evacuations as the threat can come from many different directions, and the different types of emergencies have different evacuation needs so the response is more flexible than in years past.
The Lake Tahoe Basin emergency response is now better coordinated between multiple jurisdictions and agencies in two states, five counties and one city. Chief Drennan said there is now a concerted increase in coordinating efforts since the 2021 Caldor Fire. He and the other fire chiefs and emergency leaders around the lake are now part of the Lake Tahoe Regional Fire Chiefs Association where they meet monthly and discuss strategies, solutions, and create evolving plans. He said together they have developed South Shore fuels coordination with agencies in the area.
“Fire doesn’t know whose property it is and doesn’t care,” Drennan said of the need for coordination and collaboration. The chiefs have created a Basin Evacuation Plan which is a general overview, but the exact plans are communicated once the emergency happens.
The panel agreed that communication and cooperation are key, as is being prepared, not only on the part of the agencies, but also on the part of the public.
Going back to the Gondola and Angora fires on the South Shore, Drennan said agencies have been more active in fuels managment as well as the unique coordination between all the parties, something that hadn’t been seen in the Lake Tahoe Basin before those fires.
O’Keefe said California now has a year-round fire season, and an increase in flooding situations. “Incidents are happening on a bigger scale,” he said, and they have a strong unified command group under Cal OES.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting an upcoming basin-wide evacuation drill for all agencies. Morton said they have a targeted outreach of the elderly and Spanish-speaking population in their current efforts.
Coverley said they too are planning and in ongoing evacuation training, and are often in contact with neighboring agencies. “We talk about the incidents before they happen,” he said, instead of just reacting. He said with the resident makeup constantly changing as people move in and out, his department keeps up with communicatio with them on how to prepare/alerts, etc.
Technology has been quickly evolving, and more and more regions are adopting “Perimeter,” the first place with accurate and updated information when there is an emergency. The public can follow street-by-street evacuation and repopulation news. The public needs to also be signed up for emergency alerts in their county as the emergency managers cannot communicate effectively without that tool.
Drennan said there was a “tremendous amount of planning” during the Caldor Fire, and multiple agencies were working well together, but he did admit one failure they have since identified. That is to communicate with communities to the east – when South Lake Tahoe was evacuated the lines of communication broke down and the state-level emergency offices didn’t talk, and Douglas County was not notified as the job had not been identified. People evacuated to Douglas County, Carson City, and Reno and there is now more collaboration with those plans should they happen again.
“The parking lot at Stateline happened when someone jumped the gun on evacuation,” said Drennan. He said it was still a positive outcome and lessons were learned. “You can never communicate enough.”
Morton said the parking lot at Stateline also happened as the dozens of officers in town through mutual aid didn’t have a common way to communicate and coordinate traffice. “We look to manage traffice more efficiently now,” he said.
The panel said communication is always the first thing to fail in an emergency and they are preparing to manage things better
Residents doing their defensible space and home hardeningn gives everyone more time in an evacuation as well – these successful tasks slow down the need for evacuations. “Time is your best friend, use it wisely,” said Coverley.
Being prepared, increased communication, cross-border collaboration, and partner inclusion all came out of the Caldor Fire, and if that fire happened today the responses would have been much better.
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF LAKE TAHOE WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS MONTH: MAY 2025 WHEREAS, wildfire poses an increasing threat to the Lake Tahoe Basin, significantly impacting its environmental integrity, economic vitality, and community well-being; and
WHEREAS, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is a founding member and active partner of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes all local fire protection districts, state agencies such as the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Nevada Division of Forestry, the USDA Forest Service, and local governments throughout the Lake Tahoe Region; and
WHEREAS, the Governors of the states of California and Nevada have designated law enforcement officials and state offices of emergency management as the leads in emergency management and response including evacuation scenarios and TRPA supports the region’s emergency responders and public safety officials in these endeavors
WHEREAS, since the 2007 Angora Fire, TFFT partners have collaboratively treated over 78,000 acres of forest for hazardous fuels reduction—and more than 99,000 acres in total—thereby reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health; and
WHEREAS, years of strategic, coordinated efforts by property owners and TFFT partners—including creation of defensible space, home hardening, evacuation preparedness, infrastructure protection,landscape-level forest treatment, strategically placed fuel breaks—combined with the bravery and swift action of firefighters and emergency responders, helped save Lake Tahoe from the 2021 Caldor Fire andstopped the 2024 Davis Fire from becoming catastrophic; and
WHEREAS, all residents—both full-time and part-time—must “Get Defensive” by actively managing vegetation, maintaining defensible space, and implementing home hardening practices to reduce the risk of ignition from embers; and
WHEREAS, becoming a fire-adapted community requires the collective effort of neighborhoods to prepare homes, plan for evacuation, and increase overall community resilience; and
WHEREAS, TRPA actively supports improved coordination among fire, emergency management, and transportation agencies to enhance evacuation planning, and residents play a critical role by preparing emergency go-bags and family evacuation plans in advance; and
WHEREAS, fuels reduction projects not only protect life and property, but also contribute significant environmental benefits by improving forest health, supporting wildlife habitat, and safeguarding Lake Tahoe’s drinking water sources; and
WHEREAS, wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility, and residents and visitors alike must do their part by adhering to fire restrictions and practicing safe, responsible behavior outdoors to prevent human-caused wildfires;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency proclaims May 2025 as Lake Tahoe Wildfire Preparedness Month and supports the work of our partners on the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team to educate and inspire residents and visitors to take proactive steps to protect themselves, their communities, and the natural resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire.