CONNECT Series Community Update – August 12, 2026

On August 12, 2026, DOE’s Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) team hosted its third CONNECT Series community update meeting to discuss recent activities at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), wildfires and air monitoring, and address community questions and concerns about the Sandy Fire, which burned near the site in May 2026.

Ventura County Fire Division Chief Matt Falat gave a special guest presentation on the county’s response during the Sandy Fire, along with a general overview of wildfire preparedness and response at SSFL, how incident command works and what happens when a call comes into 911.

Melody Bell, DOE’s Consolidated Business Center acting director, presented Falat with a plaque in recognition of the fire department’s efforts to protect the community and SSFL. Josh Mengers, DOE’s federal project director at ETEC, then gave an overview of the site’s response during the Sandy Fire, shared preliminary air monitoring results, and did a comparison between the Sandy Fire and the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which did burn across 80% of SSFL.

Learn more about the CONNECT Series: https://www.energy.gov/etec/connect-series