Murrieta Fire & Rescue 'Stands Ready' For Wildfire: What To Know

MURRIETA, CA — As fires rage across the Los Angeles basin, Murrieta Fire Chief Bernard Molloy wanted residents to know that local personnel are ready to work for area residents at any given moment.

In a time with Santa Ana winds, Public Safety Power Shutoffs, and high tensions, Chief Molloy shared his thoughts in a lengthy but important statement to residents in this recent message.

"Murrieta Fire & Rescue is committed to our city and stands ready when wildfire strikes our community, county, or state," he wrote. "With the current Santa Ana winds and unprecedented dry winter this year, we are seeing significant challenges.

According to Molloy, Murrieta Fire is and will continue supporting firefighting efforts across the state as we have for many years.

"Locally, we are up-staffing our personnel in response to predicted winds. In addition, we have already taken steps to reduce our wildfire risk. Our Community Risk Reduction division worked tirelessly to obtain the Fire Risk Reduction Community status for our city. This recognition demonstrates the high level of fire prevention efforts in our city and an attempt to lower insurance rates for our residents.

"We pride ourselves on working closely with property owners and educating them on property inspections, defensible space standards, and vegetation management to remove potentially dangerous dry vegetation from their property to minimize fire and the spread of wildfire."

Molloy also addressed the Public Safety Power Shutoff that has impacted so many residents, some for over 36 hours in the most recent Santa Ana Weather event.

"In recent days, many have been impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). These PSPS events are crucial for public safety, but we know what an impact they have on our residents," he wrote. "We are working closely with Southern California Edison to understand better the process and messaging they deliver when they enact these shutoffs. SCE has informed the City that the PSPS events have prevented over 50 incidents of damage to power lines and equipment from igniting fires in the southern California region.

"We ask that all residents be prepared for potential power outages and have backup plans for essential needs like lighting, communication, and refrigeration.

"Our city also works closely with our water districts to coordinate any fire suppression responses and to ensure we have a water system that matches the growing footprint of our city," he said.

In response to the LA County wildfires in both Pacific Palisades, Altadena and beyond, Molloy had this to add:

"In the tragic events of the wildfires in Los Angeles County, we as a community must take defensible space, evacuation protocols, and preparation seriously."

Murrieta Fire & Rescue suggests all residents take a moment to review evacuation plans, organize go-bags, gather essentials for a 72-hour emergency kit, and download apps to stay properly informed, including:

NOTIFYME: City of Murrieta emergency alerts.
https://MurrietaCA.gov/NotifyMe

GENASYS PROTECT: https://protect.genasys.com/search
All Murrieta zones begin with a MUR identifier.

WATCH DUTY: Free app for wildfire alerts.⁠
https://www.watchduty.org/⁠

PULSE POINT: Download the app to view and receive alerts on calls being responded to by the fire department.
https://www.pulsepoint.org/

ALERT RIVCO: Location-based alerts and information.⁠
https://rivcoready.org/alert-rivco

Murrieta Fire, Police, and City actively communicate and engage with our community members via our social media platforms. We have also updated our website with related links, resources, and information about the PSPS and fire incidents within the city jurisdiction. Rest assured, our public safety and city teams remain ready for any weather or fire activity in the coming days. We encourage all residents to prepare and remain vigilant proactively: www.murrietaca.gov