New Lake Tahoe Regional Evacuation Plan Developed by Regional Fire, Law, & Emergency Management Personnel

September 19th, 2024

Media release from: North Tahoe and Meeks Bay Fire Protection Districts.

Agency partners include: CALFIRE, Eastern Alpine Fire Rescue, Northstar Fire Dept., South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, Tahoe Douglas Fire, Lake Valley Fire Protection District, North Tahoe Fire, North Lake Tahoe Fire District, Olympic Valley Fire Dept., Meeks Bay Fire Rescue, Carson City Fire Rescue, Fallen Leaf Lake Fire, El Dorado County Sheriff, Douglas County Sheriff, Washoe County Sheriff, Placer County Sheriff, South Lake Tahoe Police, Truckee Police, Nevada State Police, California Highway Patrol, Alpine County Sheriff, Carson City Sheriff, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

Lake Tahoe, CA and NV – A new Lake Tahoe Regional Evacuation Plan was developed by the cooperative efforts of the Lake Tahoe Fire Chiefs, Lake Tahoe Law Enforcement Agencies, and Emergency Management Personnel following experiences gained during past major wildfires. The Plan is a “living document” intended to provide the public with critical information related to evacuations and will be updated from time to time.
The Plan pulled together a diverse team of experts from two different states and five different counties which all have jurisdictional responsibilities around Lake Tahoe. The efforts resulted in a robust and critically needed Regional Evacuation Plan.
The plan is currently located at: laketahoeregionalevacuationplan.pdf (ca.gov). The plan is organized so that the evacuation information in the front of the plan is applicable to ALL parts of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Then there are seven annexes in the back of the plan that allows for more specific information which is only pertinent to the specific areas.
The Plan emphasizes regional cooperation and collaboration in event of a large wildfire that may occur in the future. Local emergency experts recognize that planning for a large wildfire that will require evacuations is a reality for the Tahoe Basin. Fire, Law, and Emergency Management partners are more prepared to manage these events as a result of this new Plan. The Plan is a “living document” and is open for a sixty-day comment period ending on November 20, 2024. Submit your comments by emailing your agency contact name listed above.