With another round of Santa Ana winds whipping through the region, your local water and fire districts are working closely together in case of emergency. 

FPUD, Rainbow Municipal Water District, and North County Fire Protection District service areas remain at elevated risk for wildfires, and in response, they are taking proactive measures to ensure the safety of the North San Diego County communities they serve.

Together, these agencies have developed comprehensive emergency preventive measures to ensure swift response to wildfire emergencies. This includes sharing staff, increasing crews, and sharing all available information, vehicles, and resources to support each agency.

When a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event warning is received from San Diego Gas and Electric, water crews proactively fill water tanks to increase storage and prepare backup generators at pump stations. Both Fallbrook and Rainbow work tirelessly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide water. They also collaborate with the North County Fire Protection District, San Diego County Sheriff's Department, and other neighboring water agencies to reduce the risk of emergencies that impact the water supply.

This includes participation in SDG&E daily briefings leading up to and during a PSPS event to ensure a full understanding of the start and end of areas impacted by a power shutoff event.

Fallbrook has a command center in its boardroom—a central hub for coordinating and carrying out orders, assessing roads, risks, and conditions, and supervising tasks. The centralized headquarters was created with NC Fire to develop the centralized command location in case of a fire or natural disaster.

Fallbrook and Rainbow Water have large water storage facilities designed to exceed the current demands of the system. As a result, water is readily available to increase system reliability during these forecasted higher-risk weather events. In addition, the two water districts operate large storage reservoirs: Fallbrook’s Red Mountain Reservoir, with a capacity of 440 million gallons, and Rainbow Water’s Morro Reservoir holds a capacity of 150 million gallons. The reservoirs are essential to the everyday operations of each water district and are kept in service to bolster system reliability.

“Our crews have supported firefighting efforts during major events in the past, and as a result, we have developed a proactive approach when high-danger fire weather events are noticed to ensure we are as prepared as possible to serve and assist the fire protection agencies that protect our community,” said Jake Wiley, Rainbow Water’s general manager. “The heli-hydrant connected to our Pala Mesa tank was key to combating the recent Garden Fire with 30 aerial water drops from North County Fire and Cal Fire to increase effectiveness and protect homes in the fire path.”

The Rapid Aerial Water Supply or heli-hydrant was established in 2021 as a joint project with North County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire and was installed as a proactive measure following the Lilac Fire in 2017.

The heli-hydrant is readily available for helicopter pilots to access up to 5,000 gallons of water in minutes through an automatic open-top tank supplied by Rainbow Water’s 6.0 million gallon capacity Pala Mesa tank.

As residents, you can play a vital role:

• Update your emergency contact information with your utility provider to receive notifications for outages and emergency events.
•  Follow Cal Fire’s Ready, Set, Go wildfire action plan to prepare for an emergency.
• Heed fire and evacuation notices amid an emergency event.
• Clear brush and debris from your structures to create defensible space.
• Download the Genasys and Watch Duty emergency alert apps for real-time updates.