Bernalillo County hosts South Valley wildfire preparedness town hall

South Valley households that sit near the Bosque and other open space will get a chance to plan before the next fire weather scare. Bernalillo County Fire and Rescue will host a wildfire preparedness town hall June 24 at 6 p.m. at the Los Padillas Community Center off Isleta Boulevard Southwest, aiming to make wildfire planning a household conversation before summer conditions tighten.

The meeting will focus on the basics that matter when fire moves fast: creating defensible space, reducing wildfire risk around homes, making evacuation plans for people and animals, understanding fire restrictions, learning about prevention efforts and signing up for emergency alerts. Residents will also be able to question fire officials and emergency management experts directly, a format county leaders have used to push preparedness before an emergency starts.

Bernalillo County Department of Emergency Management says residents can receive messages about severe weather, fire danger, road closures and other emergencies through the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System on mobile phones. Residents without mobile service can opt into Everbridge, a no-cost landline alert service. The Office of the Superintendent of Insurance says May and June are peak wildfire months in New Mexico and urges people to reduce wildfire risk, create defensible space and review current insurance coverage.

The county says it spans 1,160 square miles, making it New Mexico’s most populous county with more than 676,000 residents, including about 106,000 people in unincorporated areas. Fire risk in the Bosque has also remained a focus: a county brochure says the Middle Rio Grande Restoration Project began in 2011 and has worked to restore 916 acres across roughly 26 miles of the Bosque from the Pueblo of Sandia to the Pueblo of Isleta.

The South Valley meeting follows a similar North Valley town hall at Taft Middle School on April 10, 2025. At that event, acting Fire Chief Greg Perez said, “The question is not if a wildfire will happen, but when.” In November 2025, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said Operation Bosque Guardian removed 8,468 pounds of trash and debris and cleared 42 unauthorized camps in Bosque Open Space, another sign that fire prevention in the county extends beyond one meeting or one season.