Fire season is here. Are you ready?

Los Alamos Fire Department conducted a training exercise to simulate a “water shuttle” operation on Feb. 23, 2026 between the Aquatic Center and the Golf Course.

This year’s zero-star winter has set the American West up for an active wildfire season. Here’s Boomtown’s list of tips to help you start preparing.

Prepare your home

The Los Alamos Fire Department is helping county homeowners prepare for this fire season by offering free home assessments. They will provide practical advice about how to remove the “fuel” that fires need to spread and, ultimately, give firefighters a safer and more effective chance to protect homes if a wildfire does come into the area. Boomtown’s article on this program from 2025 is here, which provides more detail about the assessments. Homeowners can schedule an appointment on LAFD’s calendar here.

Wildfire preparedness is a community effort. Get your neighbors involved, whether it’s getting a group together to have multiple home assessments done at one time, or to organize a brush cleanup, or just exchanging phone numbers. When neighbors work together to clear fuels, share information, and look out for one another, the whole community becomes safer.

Bi-weekly curbside (brown bin) brush pickups will begin March 23. All residents who pay for curbside trash pickup can also dump up to twelve loads of brush or trash per year at the Los Alamos Eco Station or White Rock’s Overlook Convenience Center at no charge.

Water from the Aquatic Center pools, which were being drained for maintenance, was transferred into LAFD water tenders, which delivered it to temporary 2000-gallon holding tanks at the golf course. The water was treated to neutralize any residual chemicals form the pool.

Make a plan

Los Alamos County follows the “Ready, Set, Go!” framework to help residents understand what’s going on. New Mexico Forestry has a PDF guide here with more information, preparation guidance, and checklists.

In short, the steps are:

Ready
Prepare to evacuate, and have your plan and go-kit ready. Seniors and people with disabilities should be prepared to take action.

Set
Be set to evacuate at a moment’s notice. You are in high danger in your area so follow your evacuation plan and relocate to a safe place.

Go
LEAVE IMMEDIATELY without delay! There is imminent danger in your area and it is unsafe to stay.

In parallel, the engine crew pumped the water from the holding tanks to fill the engine and supply its hoses.

Los Alamos County has launched a new emergency notification system powered by Everbridge. Residents can choose how they receive the notifications — by text, phone call, or email. Anyone who lives, works, studies or regularly visits Los Alamos is encouraged to sign up now to ensure they receive critical safety alerts.

To register, you can text “LOSALAMOS” to 888777 or sign up online here. (Note that you must re-register, even if you were previously receiving notifications from the county’s former notification provider CodeRED.)

Los Alamos County will be holding a virtual Wildland Fire Preparedness meeting on March 18th from 1 to 2 p.m. for interested residents. LAFD and other local organizations will also be hosting the county’s annual Wildfire Day, complete with fire trucks and an easter egg hunt, on April 4, 2026 at Ashley Pond.

And if you smell smoke...

All of Boomtown’s public safety coverage, including wildfire-related information, is available to readers at no charge. Bookmark our fire page for fire updates, smoke maps, resources and more, which we’ll keep updated in real-time as the season progresses.

The goal of the training exercise was to prepare LAFD crews to fight a fire in a remote location without a nearby source of water (e.g. a fire hydrant).