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Sara Paul of Watch Duty kicks off our 2022-23 Climate Speaker Series

Hope Salzer | Published on 9/7/2022

Sara Paul of Watch Duty - screenshot
Piedmont Connect and the League of Women Voters of Piedmont kicked off their 2022-23 Climate Speaker Series on Wednesday, September 7, with a dynamic and information-dense presentation, "Wildfire Mitigation in the Bay Area: What Can Be Done?" by Sara Paul, Watch Duty app founder and fire mitigation expert. Sara’s pithy talk was loaded with practical, actionable preparation tips and prioritized recommendations for receiving accurate, reliable, real-time information when a disaster occurs. Close to 100 viewers have taken part in the presentation thus far. To benefit from Sara’s expertise, watch the event recording on LWVP’s YouTube channel.

Register for upcoming Climate Speaker Series events: 

  • Wed Oct 19, 4-5pm join Connect and LWVP for the incomparable Rebecca Burgess’s presentation on the enormous impacts of the global fashion and textiles industry and learn how to shop, dress, sleep, eat and decorate your homes and businesses sustainably.
  • Wed Jan 18, 2023 4-5pm hear Paul Gosselin’s update on California’s groundwater management efforts to maintain sufficient clean water resources for humans, wildlife, food production and forests.
  • Feb-May 2023 (to-be-announced): Experts speaking on clean transportation, transitioning to a pollution-free home, decarbonization’s health benefits, and climate equity.

We hope you’ll join us for more engaging and inspiring conversations throughout the Series.



Emergency Preparedness ABCs:
  1. Create and review evacuation plan with loved ones
  2. Assemble a Go-Bag appropriately-sized for each family member
  3. Evaluate your property’s vulnerabilities: Piedmont’s Fire Dept offers a FREE Fire Safety Assessment– call (510)420-3030
Homework: sign up for the following alert systems!
Reading List:
Emergency Planning Basics
  1. Emergency Plan Elements
  2. Go-Bag Essentials
Evacuate Early
  • If you know a fire is close– load your Go-Bag and tune into real-time updates.
  • If you receive an evacuation order, obey it without delay– minutes count. 
Additional Tips:
  • Maintain your gas tank or EV charge at >50% capacity.
  • Back into your driveway for easier evacuation quicker on busy roads. 
  • Keep your phone charged. Store an extra charger and battery pack in your Go-Bag and car. 
  • Sleep with your phone at hand & unsilenced in case emergency alerts are sent during the night.



00:00 - Intro
03:42 - Intro of speaker
05:35 - Sara’s Motivation
12:58 - Fire Behavior
17:43 - Defensible Space
23:14 - Home Hardening
26:35 - Preparing for Disaster
34:17 - Staying Informed
47:25 - Q&A
55:09 - Closing






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The League of Women Voters of Piedmont is a tax-exempt organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. Our federal tax ID is 94-6094831