Los Alamos Wildland Fire Day Draws Families to Ashley Pond Park

A Classic Air Medical helicopter sat grounded at Ashley Pond Park last Saturday as families cycled past LAFD engines, LAPD specialty vehicles, and Wildland Fire Chief Van Leimer working the crowd the way he has for years, pressing residents on the specifics of defensible space and what they will actually grab when an evacuation order comes.

The Los Alamos Fire Department's Wildland Fire Day ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 4, drawing residents of all ages to a four-hour event designed less as a showcase than as a reminder that fire season in northern New Mexico does not wait for summer. Van Leimer, who ran similar demonstrations as a captain at the 2023 edition before being promoted to Wildland Fire Chief, had already briefed the County Council in February on two active wildfires burning in eastern New Mexico, one of which had grown to roughly 4,000 acres. Saturday's event was the public-facing version of the same concern.

The LAFD structured the demonstrations around the Ready, Set, Go! framework and Fire Adapted Communities principles, translating technical mitigation guidance into property-level action items. The defensible space guidance was specific: clear all vegetation within five feet of any structure, set fences back from the house rather than attaching them to it, and install quarter-inch mesh over chimney openings to stop ember intrusion. Firefighters emphasized that home hardening at the immediate zone around a structure is the single most controllable variable a homeowner can address before a fire moves in.

The LAPD brought out specialized units and equipment that drew extended attention, giving residents a clearer picture of the response apparatus that would be operating during an actual event. Bicycle helmet fittings ran throughout the morning alongside the equipment walk-throughs, and Sparky the Fire Dog worked the younger end of the crowd. The turnout was amplified by the Elks Annual Easter Egg Hunt running concurrently at the same park.

Residents who left with open questions have a concrete next step: the White Rock Branch Library is hosting "Discover! Wildfire Preparedness 101" on Thursday, April 16, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the branch's multipurpose room. The free program is geared toward adults and is presented by the LAFD Wildland Division. Los Alamos County's Emergency Management office maintains a defensible space checklist and additional preparedness resources through the county's planning and preparedness page for residents ready to move beyond the basics.

The Cerro Grande and Las Conchas fires established what ignition near the Hill can mean at scale. The LAFD operates on the assumption that readiness is a year-round condition, not a seasonal one, and the turnout at Ashley Pond on Saturday suggested that posture is increasingly shared by the community it protects.