Modeling has improved significantly since the last study was conducted in 2018, and we are now able to use new technology and focus on evacuation routes to get residents out and firefighters into locations quickly. This updated modeling and technology allows the City to be very surgical about which vegetation, including trees, should be removed to provide the highest level of safety and efficient evacuations, thus the greatly reduced number. Over the next few decades, however, more trees will reach the end of their lifespan and the City has developed a long-term replacement plan.

The most significant finding in this wildfire assessment for many Beverly Hills residents is the dramatically reduced number of trees that must be removed to increase wildfire safety. This report uses the latest research and technology to identify safety challenges and includes a fire modeling component that allows the Fire Department to focus on where initial efforts should be made to protect lives. The report also takes what we learned in our previous wildfire assessment and public trees studies and uses that and newly-sourced information to "connect the dots" to improve community safety.

Increased temperatures and longer drought periods caused by climate change are primary contributors to our risk of wildfires in Beverly Hills and throughout the state. Fire behavior is generally guided by three factors: weather, topography, and fuel. Weather includes wind, temperature, humidity, and precipitation. Topography includes the slope of the land, especially in our canyons. Fuel includes amount, arrangement, and moisture.

We have taken information from this report and from other resources and are focusing our resources in specific locations to reduce risk, given our high vulnerability. Our inspectors are building relationships with residents in those areas by providing home hardening consultations, allowing for pre-landscape inspection walk throughs, educating residents on defensible space, and performing landscape inspections. We are also looking at the highest hazard areas and expanding our Red Flag No Parking Program to facilitate evacuations in the event of a wildfire. The Department has an extensive landscape inspection program that is staffed with a dedicated Fire Inspector who is supplemented with suppression staff to ensure that we reduce local fire fuel loads. We also do extensive outreach and community education, including Ready Set Go and home hardening consultations. We have an aggressive fuel modification ordinance that sets standards for new and remodeled landscape projects. We are recognized as a Fire Wise community, which allows us to work with organizations and agencies around the world that empower residents with the knowledge and information needed to reduce wildfire loss. We also partner with other agencies such as the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, Edison, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to reduce wildfire hazards.

While the City is doing everything possible to increase wildfire safety, residents have a significant responsibility and must be actively engaged as a partner. This is not solely a problem for the Fire Department, nor the City itself. It is everyone's challenge, and it cannot be solved without residents, business operators, and the City joining forces to develop solutions together.

We will continue to work with private agencies to evaluate the most vulnerable locations using advanced fire modeling to identify areas where we can improve fire safety. We will make recommendations and take action to make incremental improvements and identify emerging trends as the vegetation landscape continues to change. Residents are encouraged to attend the informational meetings scheduled on July 13 and 14, visit the City's website for updates, and contact the Fire or Public Works departments with comments, questions, and concerns.