Senator Portantino Hosts Post–La Tuna Fire Forum

Tuesday, November 21 2017

Burbank, California – On Saturday, November 18, 2017, Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D–La Cañada Flintridge) hosted a panel of experts who discussed Do’s and Don’ts after the La Tuna Fire.  The forum was held at Woodbury University and was Livestreamed to the Senator’s Facebook page, available for viewing at facebook.com/portantino.  

Forum speakers included Jon E. Keeley, a fire ecologist with the US Geological Survey, Eric Baumgardner, Emergency Manager for the City of Burbank, Michael Miranda and Patricia Wood, Civil Engineers with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Kitty Connolly, Executive Director of the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants, and Dana Stangel, Founder and Executive Director of Teranga Ranch. 

Topics included “Postfire Ecology and What Urban Communities Can Learn about Adapting to Fire,” “Mitigation and Preparedness Efforts for the City of Burbank,” “Potential Post-Fire Impacts” (which included LA County advice for affected homeowners, including examples of physical barriers homeowners can install for debris flow diversion), “After the Fire: Flowers” (focusing on the natural recovery of our fire-dependent native flora), and “Animals and Fire: What Can You Do?” (addressing pre-emergency readiness, how to successfully evacuate during an event, and what comes next after a fire)

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