Thomas (Tom) Ewald is a National Advisor in Manatt’s Real Estate Advisors practice in Los Angeles. Widely regarded as one of the foremost leaders in urban and wildland fire response, community risk reduction and prevention, and public safety innovation, Tom supports clients with real estate development assets, including commercial, residential, hospitality, aviation and health systems.

At Manatt, Tom works with clients who own, manage or operate private and public properties, entertainment facilities, sporting venues, universities, regional and super regional mall projects, high rise towers, data centers, industrial and warehouse distribution facilities, residential developments and various types of infrastructure projects in working with local and statewide agencies to prepare for climate and other emergency situations.

Tom’s work includes addressing land use and development issues–starting at the entitlement application and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review phases and ending at the plan check process, assisting with wildfire-related planning, including preventative measures, emergency protocols and evacuation planning, and working with clients in the preparation and review of their wildfire and evacuation technical studies and reports necessary to obtain development permits, which will provide the substantial evidence necessary to defend those permits in litigation. Additionally, his background collaborating with local airports as the fire department’s Aviation & Wildland Division commander enables him to support the Firm’s capabilities providing guidance to clients who operate fixed-base operators (FBOs), maintenance, repair and overhauls (MROs) or otherwise own and develop properties at Van Nuys Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Long Beach Airport, among others. 

During his 39-year career, Tom led countless large-scale disaster responses and tackled various emergency situations at the local, state and national levels and has been involved in managing readiness and crisis events in more than 31 countries across six continents. He has also worked extensively with a variety of Los Angeles City and County agencies, uniquely positioning him to provide guidance to clients working with these officials and members of community-based organizations, labor unions and allied public safety agencies.

Tom is a qualified member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team, which is a part of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He spent over three decades with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, most recently as Deputy Fire Chief, leading incident management teams and resources in preparation for, and during, large-scale wildfire emergencies and events such as Super Bowl LVI, COVID-19 testing, vaccination and distribution of personal protective equipment, and Project Roomkey missions. Tom was also a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Incident Support Team leader with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a program manager and task force leader at the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).