For Palo Alto Fire Chief Geo Blackshire, the best type of home to come across during a fire is an empty one. It’s even better when the residents have also left their home adequately prepared for the risk of fire by keeping vegetation several feet away from the exterior.

“I can go on and on about what the community can do to really eliminate that risk of evacuation and rescue that we’d have to engage with, instead of just trying to go out there and protect homes,” he said.

As wildfire season approaches in Palo Alto, Blackshire and other emergency responders are continuing to incorporate feedback from a third-party audit completed earlier this year that found several areas of improvement in the city’s mitigation strategies. Meanwhile, Utilities Department crews are plowing ahead with a mul

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