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Home My WebLink AboutFD Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan Acceptance____________________________________________________________________________________ FOR CITY CLERK ONLY Council Meeting: 12/17/2018 Disposition: Resolution No. 14614 Agenda Item No: 4.d Meeting Date: December 17, 2018 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Department: Fire Department Prepared by: Christopher Gray, Fire Chief City Manager Approval: ______________ TOPIC: MARIN COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN ACCEPTANCE SUBJECT: RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE MARIN COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN RECOMMENDATION: Adopt a resolution accepting the Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan as a guiding document for wildfire prevention efforts in San Rafael. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was created through a collaborative process to provide a comprehensive framework to address the risk of wildfire. The report includes corrective actions, including specific areas of risk in San Rafael. By accepting the CWPP, the City is recognizing that the Plan provides an important framework for systematically addressing wildfire risks. Accepting the Plan also provides supportive documentation for upcoming grant applications. A full wildfire safety action plan will be presented to City Council on January 22nd, 2019. BACKGROUND: Beginning in 2015, the Marin County Fire Department worked with the San Rafael Fire Department, FIREsafe MARIN, and other local fire agencies to develop a comprehensive CWPP for Marin County. The San Rafael Fire Department identified priority areas in the City for fuel reduction and structural ignitability mitigation efforts. Scientific analysis and mapping projects produced a report of current wildfire risks and proposed mitigation measures. The Marin County CWPP was formally approved by the County Board of supervisors in March 2017. The CWPP remains a living document, incorporating updates and new action items. The San Rafael Fire Department has contributed regular updates to the plan and has taken steps to incorporate the findings into the City’s ongoing all-hazard planning and fire prevention efforts. ANALYSIS: The Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) provides a scientifically based assessment of wildfire threat in the wildland urban interface (WUI) of all of Marin County. The CWPP was developed through a collaborative process involving Marin County fire agencies, County officials, County, State, and Federal land management agencies, and community members. It meets the CWPP requirement set forth in the federal Healthy Forests Restoration Act, which include the following: SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2 stakeholder collaboration; identifying and prioritizing areas for fuel reduction activities; and addressing structural ignitability. A science-based hazard, asset, risk assessment was performed using up-to-date, high resolution topography and fuels information combined with local fuel moisture and weather data. The assessment was focused on identifying areas of concern throughout the county and beginning to prioritize areas where wildfire threat is greatest. Hazard mitigation efforts can then be focused to address specific issues in the areas of greatest concern. The CWPP asserts that Marin County will reduce wildland fire hazard using a collaborative and integrated approach that includes the following strategies: •Pre-fire planning. •Public education and outreach to promote and implement fire adapted community practices. •Vegetation management and fuel reduction at the county and community levels. •Reducing structure ignitability by promoting and enforcing building codes, ordinances, and statutes Moreover, the CWPP serves as a framework for future collaboration that can be used to identify, prioritize, implement, and monitor hazard reduction activities throughout Marin County. It is intended to be a living document that will be updated periodically by FIRESafe MARIN, local fire agencies, and the Marin County Fire Department, in collaboration with a broader group of County stakeholders. The CWPP is also intended to support the California Fire Plan and CAL FIRE’s Unit Strategic Fire Plan. While this CWPP broadly covers all of Marin County, this plan supports and encourages more focused plans for wildfire protection at the local level. The San Rafael 2017 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan includes the recommendation to “develop City-specific Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) with enhanced wildfire mapping”. Accepting the Marin County CWPP partially fulfils this recommendation while funding is secured for more detailed San Rafael wildfire risk mapping. This resolution does not preclude the City from pursing a City CWPP and parcel level fuel mapping. By formally accepting the Marin County CWPP, the City will demonstrate to other agencies that San Rafael’s wildfire prevention efforts are aligned with the broader County efforts. In addition, this action would serve to support wildfire-related grant funding opportunities because grant applications from organizations with an approved CWPP may be more favorably viewed than organizations who do not have an approved CWPP. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with this item. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt a resolution accepting the Marin CWPP as a guiding document for wildfire prevention efforts in San Rafael. ATTACHMENTS: 1.Resolution 2.Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan RESOLUTION NO. 14614 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, STATE OF CALIFORNIA ACCEPTING THE MARIN COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN AS A GUIDING DOCUMENT FOR WILDFIRE PREVENTION EFFORTS IN SAN RAFAEL WHEREAS, wildfire is an ever-increasing concern for many communities in California and across the United States; and WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael recognizes the importance of wildfire mitigation in order to protect the community; and WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael contributed to the preparation of the Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan; and WHEREAS, the Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan aims to protect life and reduce property loss due to wildfire by identifying wildfire risk and mitigation measures; and WHEREAS, the Plan provides a scientifically based assessment of wildfire threat; and WHEREAS, the Plan incorporates pre-fire planning, public education, vegetation management, and recommendations to reduce structure ignitability; and WHEREAS, the Plan meets the requirements set forth in the federal Healthy Forests Restoration Act; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of San Rafael does hereby accept the Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (initial publication 2016); and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of San Rafael incorporates the CWPP analysis and recommendations into the City’s ongoing all-hazard planning and fire prevention efforts. I, Lindsay Lara, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the San Rafael City Council held on Monday the 17th day of December 2018 by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: Councilmembers: Bushey, Colin, Gamblin, McCullough & Mayor Phillips Councilmembers: None Councilmembers: None ___________________________ LINDSAY LARA, City Clerk Marin County Fire Department COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN 2016 in collaboration with Cover photo, istock.com, copyright David Safanda, 2007. This Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) provides a scientifically based assessment of wildfire threat in the wildland urban interface (WUI) of Marin County, California. This CWPP was developed through a collaborative process involving Marin County fire agencies, county officials, county, state, and federal land management agencies, and community members. It meets the CWPP requirements set forth in the federal Healthy Forests Restoration Act, which include: •Stakeholder collaboration (Section 3). •Identifying and prioritizing areas for fuel reduction activities (Sections 4 and 5). •Addressing structural ignitability (Section 7). Wildfire poses the greatest risk to human life and property in Marin County’s densely populated WUI, which holds an estimated 69,000 living units. Marin County is home to 23 communities listed on CAL FIRE’s Communities at Risk list, with approximately 80% of the total land area in the county designated as having moderate to very high fire hazard severity ratings. The county has a long fire history with many large fires over the past decades, several of which have occurred in the WUI. To compound the issue, national fire suppression policies and practices have contributed to the continuous growth (and overgrowth) of vegetation resulting in dangerous fuel loads (see Section 1.6). Executive Summary ● ● ● Executive Summary ● ● ● i A science-based hazard, asset, risk assessment was performed using up-to-date, high resolution topography and fuels information combined with local fuel moisture and weather data. The assessment was focused on identifying areas of concern throughout the county and beginning to prioritize areas where wildfire threat is greatest. Hazard mitigation efforts can then be focused to address specific issues in the areas of greatest concern (see Sections 4 and 5). Marin County will reduce wildland fire hazard using a collaborative and integrated approach that includes the following strategies (see Section 8): •Pre-fire planning. •Public education and outreach to promote and implement fire adapted community practices. •Vegetation management and fuel reduction at the county and community levels. •Reducing structure ignitability by promoting and enforcing building codes, ordinances, and statutes. This document provides a framework for future collaboration that can be used to identify, prioritize, implement, and monitor hazard reduction activities throughout the county. It is intended to be a living document that will be updated periodically by FIRESafe MARIN and the Marin County Fire Department (MCFD) in collaboration with a broader group of county stakeholders. This document is also intended to support the California Fire Plan and CAL FIRE’s Unit Strategic Fire Plan. While this CWPP broadly covers the entire county, this plan supports and encourages more focused plans for wildfire protection at the city, community, and neighborhood scales. ● ● ● Executive Summary ● ● ● ii ●● ● Plan Amendments ●● ● iii Plan Amendments Table 1. Plan Amendments. Date Section Updated Page Numbers Updated Description of Update Updated By This document contains blank pages to accommodate two-sided printing. ●● ● Contents Contents Figures ......................................................................................................................................................................................... vii Tables .......................................................................................................................................................................................... viii 1.County Overview ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Fire Agencies, Capabilities, and Preparedness ............................................................................................ 2 1.2 Agency Coordination ............................................................................................................................................ 7 1.3 Population and Housing ..................................................................................................................................... 9 1.3.1 Population Flux ..................................................................................................................................... 10 1.4 Land Ownership ................................................................................................................................................... 10 1.5 Natural Resources ............................................................................................................................................... 11 1.5.1 Biodiversity ............................................................................................................................................ 11 1.5.2 Watersheds and Water Districts .................................................................................................... 12 1.6 Marin County’s Wildland Urban Interface ................................................................................................. 13 1.7 Roads and Streets ............................................................................................................................................... 15 2.Fire Environment ...................................................................................................................... 17 2.1 Weather .................................................................................................................................................................. 17 2.2 Vegetation and Fuels Characteristics .......................................................................................................... 19 2.2.1 Vegetation Diseases and Infestations ......................................................................................... 22 2.3 Topography ........................................................................................................................................................... 24 2.4 Fire History ............................................................................................................................................................ 24 2.5 Ignition History .................................................................................................................................................... 26 3.Collaboration ............................................................................................................................. 29 3.1 FIRESafe MARIN ................................................................................................................................................... 30 3.2 Fire Agencies ......................................................................................................................................................... 30 3.3 Land Management Agencies .......................................................................................................................... 30 3.4 Community Stakeholders ................................................................................................................................. 31 4.Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ......................................................................... 35 4.1 Assets at Risk ........................................................................................................................................................ 35 4.1.1 Areas of Concern ................................................................................................................................. 38 4.1.2 Fire Road and Fuelbreak Networks .............................................................................................. 38 4.2 Risk Assessment Approach ............................................................................................................................. 39 4.2.1 Step 1: Prepare Community Base Map and Areas of Concern .......................................... 41 4.2.2 Step 2: Prepare Veget ation and Fuel Model Data .................................................................. 41 4.2.3 Step 3: Acquire Local Weather and Fuel Moisture Data ...................................................... 41 4.2.4 Step 4: Prepare a Population Density Map ................................................................................ 43 4.2.5 Step 5: Perform Fire Behavior Modeling .................................................................................... 43 4.2.6 Step 6: Develop Composite Maps ................................................................................................ 45 4.2.7 Step 7: Develop Rankings for Areas of Concern ..................................................................... 45 ●● ● Contents 5.Modeling Results ...................................................................................................................... 47 5.1 Average Fire Season Modeling Results ...................................................................................................... 47 5.2 Extreme Fire Conditions Modeling Results ............................................................................................... 51 5.3 Discussion of Findings ...................................................................................................................................... 55 6.Pre-Fire Management Strategies and Tactics .................................................................... 57 6.1 Building Codes and Standards ....................................................................................................................... 57 6.2 Hazardous Fuel Reduction ............................................................................................................................... 58 6.3 Information and Education ............................................................................................................................. 59 6.3.1 Information ............................................................................................................................................ 59 6.3.2 Education and Outreach ................................................................................................................... 59 6.4 Fire Detection Cameras ..................................................................................................................................... 60 7.Structural Ignitability ............................................................................................................... 61 7.1 Opportunities to Reduce Structural Ignitability ...................................................................................... 62 7.1.1 Increase Education about Structural Ignitability and Defensible Space ........................ 62 7.1.2 Inventory Structures with Shake and Shingle Roofing ......................................................... 63 7.1.3 Uniform Adoption of WUI Ordinance ......................................................................................... 64 7.2 Structure Ignitability Efforts Currently in Place ....................................................................................... 64 8.Recommendations and Action Plan .................................................................................... 67 8.1 Plan Recommendations .................................................................................................................................... 67 8.1.1 Continue to identify and evaluate wildland fire hazards ..................................................... 67 8.1.2 Articulate and Promote the Concept of Land Use Planning Related to Fire Risk ...... 68 8.1.3 Support and continue to participate in the collaborative development and implementation of wildland fire protection plans .................................................................. 68 8.1.4 Increase awareness, knowledge, and actions implemented by individuals and communities to reduce human loss and property damage from wildland fires ........ 69 8.1.5 Integrate fire and fuels management practices ...................................................................... 70 8.2 Action Plan ............................................................................................................................................................. 71 8.2.1 Environmental Review and Permitting ........................................................................................ 71 8.3 Plan Management ............................................................................................................................................... 71 9.References .................................................................................................................................. 73 Appendix A: Updated Fuel Map Generation ............................................................................ 75 A.1 Processing Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 75 A.2 Input Datasets ...................................................................................................................................................... 75 A.3 Image Processing ................................................................................................................................................ 76 A.4 Fuel Model Crosswalk ....................................................................................................................................... 76 A.5 Fuel Model Adjustments .................................................................................................................................. 77 A.6 Landscape File Creation .................................................................................................................................... 77 A.7 References .............................................................................................................................................................. 78 Appendix B: Areas of Concern and Marin County Fire Plan Projects ................................ 79 Appendix C: Glossary .................................................................................................................. 101 Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ............................................................................................... 107 ●● ● Figures Figures Figure 1. Map of Marin County and the wildland urban interface boundaries (red). ..................................... 1 Figure 2. Map of the federal responsibility areas (red), state responsibility areas & MCFD (blue), and local responsibility areas (yellow) in Marin County. ..................................................................................... 3 Figure 3. Map of Marin County professional fire service agency jurisdictions. ................................................. 5 Figure 4. Population density in and around Marin County’s WUI. ...................................................................... 14 Figure 5. Updated high-resolution (5 x 5 meter) fuel model map for Marin County. ................................. 22 Figure 6. Map of large fires that have occurred in Marin County’s WUI. .......................................................... 26 Figure 7. Fire statistics for Marin County from 1974 through 2014. .................................................................. 27 Figure 8. Map of ignition history data for all authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) in Marin County from 2002 through 2011. ............................................................................................................................. 28 Figure 9. Map of the areas of concern identified by stakeholder agencies in Marin County. .................. 38 Figure 10. The steps used to perform the hazard, asset, risk assessment. ...................................................... 40 Figure 11. RAWS station locations in Marin County. Note that data from the Robinhood site in Novato were not used for this analysis as the data were not yet available. ............................................ 42 Figure 12. Population density in Ma rin County based on the 2010 Census. .................................................. 43 Figure 13. Potential flame length for the average fire conditions weather scenario. .................................. 47 Figure 14. Predicted rate of spread for the average fire conditions weather scenario. .............................. 48 Figure 15. Composite map of population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the average fire conditions model scenario. ................................................................................................................ 49 Figure 16. Areas of concern rankings in Marin County based on population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the average fire conditions model scenario. ........................................... 50 Figure 17. Potential flame length for the extreme fire conditions scenario. ................................................... 51 Figure 18. Predicted rate of spread for the extreme fire conditions scenario. ............................................... 52 Figure 19. Composite map of population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the extreme fire conditions scenario. .............................................................................................................................. 53 Figure 20. Areas of concern rankings in Marin County based on population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the extreme fire conditions scenario. ......................................................... 54 ●● ● Tables Tables Table 1. Plan Amendments ................................................................................................................................................... iii Table 2. Number of parcels and living units located in the SRA by fire jurisdiction. ....................................... 4 Table 3. Marin County fire service agencies. ................................................................................................................... 5 Table 4. Mutual aid agreements/plans and assistance-for-hire agreements ..................................................... 8 Table 5. Population distribution by ci ty or town and surrounding area .............................................................. 9 Table 6. Distribution of land ownership in Marin County. ...................................................................................... 10 Table 7. Fuel model types for Marin County. ............................................................................................................... 21 Table 8. Ignition history data for Marin County from 1974 through 2014 ...................................................... 27 Table 9. Participants in this CWPP process ................................................................................................................... 29 Table 10. Marin County CWPP public meeting dates, times, and locations .................................................... 32 Table 11. Summary of the public’s concerns regarding fire hazards throughout Marin County. ............ 33 Table 12. Marin County communities at risk and fire district jurisdiction ........................................................ 37 Table 13. Fuel moisture and weather values used for the average fire season and extreme fire conditions modeling scenarios .................................................................................................................................. 42 Table 14. Fire suppression interpretations of flame length and fire line intensity ........................................ 44 Table 15. Marin County communities at risk and areas of concern relative rankings, based on the results of the asset, hazard, risk modeling .................................................................................................... 55 ● ● ● Signatures ● ● ● ix Signatures The Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was developed in accordance with the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. The plan was developed collaboratively among county stakeholders, including federal, state, local, and private land owners, and local fire departments throughout the county. The plan includes a prioritized list of hazardous fuel reduction strategies and addresses measures that community members can take to reduce structural ignitability. The undersigned have reviewed the Marin County CWPP and accept this document as the final draft representing 2016. ____________________________________________________________________ ______________________ Mark Heine, Marin County Fire Chief ’s Association Date ____________________________________________________________________ ______________________ Jason Weber, Marin County Fire Department Date ____________________________________________________________________ ______________________ Katie Rice, Chair of FIRESafe MARIN Date ____________________________________________________________________ ______________________ Christie Neill, President of FIRESafe MARIN Date ____________________________________________________________________ ______________________ Date Steve Kinsey, Chair, Marin County Board of Supervisors Date ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 1 1. County Overview Marin County is located in the North San Francisco Bay Area in California (Figure 1). The county is approximately 520 square miles (332,800 acres) with a population of approximately 261,000,1 and is largely rural. The county is bordered by Sonoma County to the northeast, the East San Francisco Bay Area to the southeast, and San Francisco County to the south, with the Pacific Ocean along its western border. Most of the county’s population resides in the eastern, urban-developed region of the county along the Highway 101 corridor. The west region of the county—in and around Pt. Reyes—is a popular local tourist region covered by parklands and recreation areas, and the northwest is sparsely populated, agricultural rangeland. Figure 1. Map of Marin County and the wildland urban interface boundaries (red). 1 U.S. Census Bureau Marin County population estimate for 2014, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06041.html, July 20, 2015 ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 2 Approximately 60,000 acres—18% of the county’s land area—falls within the wildland urban interface (WUI) where residences (i.e., homes and structures) are intermixed with open space and wildland vegetation. A recent assessment by the Marin County Fire Department (MCFD) revealed that there are approximately 69,000 living units valued at $59 billion within the WUI (Marin County Fire Department, 2015). Because of the mix and density of structure and natural fuels combined with limited access and egress routes, fire management becomes more complex in WUI environments. In Marin County specifically, many of the access roads within the WUI are narrow and winding and are often on hillsides with overgrown vegetation, making it even more difficult and costly to reduce fire hazards, fight wildfires, and protect homes and lives in these areas. 1.1 Fire Agencies, Capabilities, and Preparedness Fire protection in California is the responsibility of either the federal, state, or local government. On federally owned land, or federal responsibility areas (FRA), fire protection is provided by the federal government, oftentimes in partnership with local grants and contracts. In state responsibility areas (SRA), CAL FIRE typically provides fire protection. However, in some counties CAL FIRE contracts with county fire departments to provide protection of the SRA – this is the case in Marin County, where CAL FIRE contracts with MCFD. Local responsibility areas (LRA) include incorporated cities and cultivated agriculture lands, and fire protection is typically provided by city fire departments, fire protection districts, counties, and by CAL FIRE under contract to local government.2 Figure 2 shows the FRA , SRA, and LRA in Marin County. 2 http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/fire_prevention_wildland_faqs#desig01 ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 3 Figure 2. Map of the federal responsibility areas (red), state & MCFD responsibility areas (blue), and local responsibility areas (yellow) in Marin County. CAL FIRE contracts with MCFD to provide wildland fire protection and associated fire prevention activities for lands designated by the State Board of Forestry as SRA. Marin is one of six counties in the state who contract with CAL FIRE to protect SRA. The MCFD is responsible for the protection of approximately 200,000 acres of SRA within the county and is the primary agency that handles wildland fires. MCFD also provides similar protection services to approximately 100,000 acres of FRA in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), the Muir Woods National Monument, and the Point Reyes National Seashore. Within Marin County, there are 96,195 parcels and 106,679 living units; of these living units, an estimated 69,000 units are located in the WUI. There are 17,152 parcels and 14,560 living units located in the county’s SRA; of these, 15,977 parcels are located in the WUI. Location within the WUI puts these parcels and living units at greater risk from wildfires due to surrounding vegetation and ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 4 their proximity to wildlands. Table 2 lists the number of parcels and living units located in the SRA by fire jurisdiction.3 Table 2. Number of parcels and living units located in the SRA by fire jurisdiction. Fire Jurisdiction Number of Parcels Number of Living Units Marin County Fire Department 7,060 5,854 Southern Marin Fire Department 2,732 2,625 Novato Fire Protection District 2,040 1,706 Bolinas Fire Protection District 1,238 719 Ross Valley Fire Department 1,072 960 Kentfield Fire Protection District 818 815 Inverness Public Utilities District 752 618 Marinwood Fire Department 477 413 San Rafael Fire Department (CSA-19) 385 381 Stinson Beach Fire Protection District 328 283 Tiburon Fire Protection District 250 186 Total 17,152 14,560 MCFD staffs an Emergency Command Center (ECC) that dispatches for MCFD and local volunteer fire departments, coordinates wildland incidents within the SRA or FRA, and acts as the county’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) coordination center for fire dispatching. In addition to MCFD, there are thirteen professional fire service agencies and one volunteer department—Tomale s Volunteer Fire Company (TVFC)—that provide fire services in Marin County. TVFC provides 12 firefighters to MCFD’s Tomales response zone. In addition, one private fire brigade, Skywalker Fire, is situated on the Lucas Valley Ranch . Figure 3 shows a jurisdictional map for MCFD and the other thirteen professional fire service agencies in Marin County, and Table 3 provides information on all of the fire service agencies in the county. 3 Parcel and living unit data are based on the 2015-16 Marin County Tax Assessor’s Roll. The next update of these data is scheduled for release in July 2016. ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 5 Figure 3. Map of Marin County professional fire service agency jurisdictions. Table 3. Marin County fire service agencies. Personnel Fire Stations Fire Apparatus Additional Equipment/Services Marin County Fire Department 160 firefighters (full time, seasonal, volunteer), 14 person Tamalpais Fire Crew Six Seven Type 1 (two reserves), 12 Type 3 (5 reserves), one Type 4, one ECV, one transport/bulldozer, three water tenders, four ambulances/medic Four Fire Detection Cameras, two Lookout Towers ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 6 Personnel Fire Stations Fire Apparatus Additional Equipment/Services Novato Fire Protection District 76 (60 emergency response personnel, 15 administrative personnel, one fire mechanic) Five stations, one administrative office building, one training tower Seven Type 1 ALS (2 reserve), two Type 3 ALS, one OES Type 1, four ALS ambulances (two first out, one cross staffed and one reserve), one ALS aerial ladder truck , one water tender Weather station, thermal imaging cameras Kentfield Fire Protection District 20 firefighters (full time, seasonal, volunteer) One Three Type 1, one ladder truck , two utility units N/A Bolinas Fire Protection District 21 firefighters (full time, part time, seasonal, volunteer) One Two Type 1, one Type 3, one MCI trailer N/A Stinson Beach Fire Protection District 5 personnel (30 volunteers) One Two Type 1, one Type 3, one water tender, one BLS ambulance, two command vehicles San Rafael Fire Department 72 line personnel (full time), 10 administrative/prevention personnel Seven Nine Type 1 (two reserve), one Type 3, two ladder trucks, four medic ambulances, one hose tender, five utility units, three BC command vehicles Eight thermal imaging cameras Ross Valley Department 32 personnel (full time) Four Four Type 1 (three reserves), one Type 3 Tiburon Fire Protection District 43 personnel (full time, volunteer) Two Four Type 1, one Type 3, one rescue, one fireboat, one medic ambulance Three thermal imaging cameras ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 7 Personnel Fire Stations Fire Apparatus Additional Equipment/Services Corte Madera Fire Department 26 personnel (full time, reserves) Two Three Type 1 (one reserve), two ambulances (one reserve), two command vehicles (one truck, one SUV), three utility vehicles (two trucks, one SUV) Mill Valley Fire Department 35 personnel (25 full time, 10 volunteer) Two Three Type 1 (one reserve), one Type 3, one ALS ambulance, three command vehicles, two utility trucks Larkspur Fire Department 17 personnel (full time) Two Three Type 1 (one reserve), one Type 3, one water tender – Type 1 tactical Marinwood Fire Protection District 31 firefighters (11 full time, 20 volunteer) One Two Type 1, one Type 3, utility truck Southern Marin Fire Protection District 53 (6 administrative, 47 emergency response) Two Four Type 1 (1 reserve), one Type 3, two ALS ambulances, one heavy rescue, one ladder truck, two Battalion Chief vehicles, three utility trucks, three staff vehicles One boat, one dive tender unit, one IRB, CAL OES water rescue resources (IRB and RWC) 1.2 Agency Coordination In addition to the CAL FIRE contract, Marin County has a well-organized local mutual aid system, based on the principles of resource sharing and cooperation with a goal of providing the public with the highest level of service that no one agency is equipped to provide. These agreements include resources from all fire agencies, law enforcement, volunteer fire departments, the OES, the National Park Service (NPS), CAL FIRE, and local landowners. Table 4 lists the mutual aid agreements/plans and assistance-for-hire agreements. Mutual aid agreements are agreements among emergency responders to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries to supplement the resources of any fire agency during a period of actual or potential need. ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 8 Table 4. Mutual aid agreements/plans and assistance-for-hire agreements. Mutual Aid Agreements and Plans Countywide Mutual Threat Zone Plan Marin Sonoma County Mutual Threat Zone Plan Marin County Mutual Aid Agreement County of Marin Urban Search and Rescue County of Marin Office of Emergency Services State of California Master Mutual Aid North Bay Incident Management Team Assistance-for-Hire Agreements Marin Municipal Water District Skywalker Ranch Fire Brigade National Park Service in the areas of Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Muir Woods National Monument The ECC has been maintained by MCFD since the 1930s and serves as an independent dispatch center. The ECC receives, disseminates, and transmits information to field units, and has the additional responsibility to act in a supervisory role for incidents prior to the arrival of field units. The ECC also acts as the central ordering point for all state resources that are committed to SRA incidents in the county, and for Region II California Office of Emergency Services requests and OES coordination of local government fire resources entering or leaving the county operational area. The ECC processes approximately 4,500 calls annually, and is also responsible for handling all business calls received by the department. In 2015, the ECC upgraded to a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to improve response coordination with all units. The Communications Division of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office operates the Marin County Public Safety Communications Center, which is located in the Sheriff ’s Office Headquarters in San Rafael. The center provides service to the Sheriff’s Office, five police departments, nine fire departments, six paramedic service areas, the Marin County Department of Public Works, and many other city and county government service departments. The center is the primary 9-1-1 public safety answering point for all unincorporated areas of the county, as well as Mill Valley, Belvede re, Sausalito, Larkspur, Corte Madera, San Anselmo, and Tiburon.4 4 http://marinsheriff.org/about.aspx?gi_id=5 ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 9 1.3 Population and Housing According to the most recent census data, the population of Marin County is approximately 261,000,5 with 87% of people living in LRA , 12% living in SRA, and 1% living in FRA. Table 5 shows the population distribution in Marin County by city or town. Table 5. Population distribution by city or town and surrounding area. City, Town, or Community Population % County Total San Rafael 59,237 23% Novato 55,005 21% Mill Valley 14,403 6% San Anselmo 12,676 5% Larkspur 12,325 5% Tamalpais -Homestead Valley 10,735 4% Corte Madera 9,916 4% Tiburon 9,224 4% Fairfax 7,638 3% Sausalito 7,135 3% Kentfield 6,485 3% Lucas Valley-Marinwood 6,094 2% Strawberry 5,393 2% Santa Venetia 4,292 2% Marin City 2,666 1% Ross 2,483 1% Sleepy Hollow 2,384 1% Belvedere 2,129 1% Lagunitas-Forest Knolls 1,819 1% Bolinas 1,620 1% Woodacre 1,348 1% Black Point-Green Point 1,306 1% Inverness 1,304 1% Point Reyes Station, Alto, Stinson Beach, San Geronimo, Muir Beach, Dillon Beach, Tomales, Nicasio 3,530 2% Total 241,147 95% Note: the remaining 5% of the county’s population lives in rural areas outside of the cities and towns listed in this table. 5 Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014; Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 10 Most of the towns and cities in Marin County are “built-out,” resulting in modest levels of new development. However, some future residential development is expected on the hillsides of the San Geronimo Valley, and in Lucas Valley, Nicasio, and Point Reyes Station. In addition, as the value of parcels increases, more lots along the Throckmorton Ridge and Panoramic Highway are being developed. 1.3.1 Population Flux An important consideration from a fire planning and emergency response perspective is the tourist population and temporal shifts in the transient population during the summer fire season, particularly in the western coastal areas. On warm days during the summer, the transient tourist population more than doubles as people come to the county’s parks, beaches, and recreation areas. There is often heavy traffic on roadways to and from west Marin County and along Highway 1. Consideration of the tourist population flux is important for planning strategic fuels treatment projects, reducing potential ignition sources, and allocating emergency response personnel. 1.4 Land Ownership Land owners and vegetation managers in Marin County are some of the key stakeholders in the CWPP development process. Land ownership in Marin County is quite diverse and includes federal, state, local (county), and private property owners; Tabl e 6 shows the distribution of land ownership in the county. Table 6. Distribution of land ownership in Marin County. Land Owner Percent Ownership Private 56% National Park Service 24% Marin Municipal Water District 6% County Open Space District 5% State Parks 4% Other Parksa 5% Total 100% a Includes land controlled by municipalities and school districts, Army Corps, California Department of Agriculture, California Fish & Wildlife, North Marin Water District, and private organizations. ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 11 1.5 Natural Resources 1.5.1 Biodiversity Marin County has a wide variety of plants including several rare or locally endemic species. The landscape provides a range of elevations, aspects, soil types, and moisture levels that support savannas, grasslands, oak-bay woodlands, chaparral, redwood forests, and wetlands. Rare, threatened, or endangered species (both plants and animals) are present in Marin County. Extensive information about vegetation and their habitats is included in the Marin County Parks and Open Space District’s (MCOSD) Vegetation and Biodiversity Management Plan. The county has critical habitats for the following list of special-status or locally rare species—see the Vegetation and Biodiversity Management Plan (May & Associates Inc., 2015) for Latin names: • Wildlife (birds) – Cooper’s hawk, sharp shinned hawk, white-tailed kite, grasshopper sparrow, northern spotted owl, olive-sided flycatcher, brant, northern harrier, San Francisco common yellowthroat, California black rail, snowy egret, osprey, California clapper rail, Samuel’s song sparrow, California horned lark, yellow warbler, burrowing owl, Sacramento splittail, California black rail, golden eagle, Virginia rail, San Pablo song sparrow • Wildlife (fish, frogs) – coho salmon, central California coast steelhead, Chinook salmon, California red-legged frog (a threatened species) • Wildlife (other) – pallid bat, American badger, salt marsh harvest mouse, land snail • Broadleaf herbaceous annuals and perennials – indigo bush, coast ground cone, Tiburon buckwheat, Mt. Tamalpais jewelflower, Brewer’s redmaids, Hooker’s tobacco brush, silver lupine (host plant of mission blue butterfly), coast rhododendron, marsh milk vetch, Humboldt Bay owl’s clover, Point Reyes bird’s beak, bent-flowered fiddleneck, Mt. Tamalpais manzanita, Mt. Tamalpais lessingia, common manzanita, Brewer’s claytonia, Van Houtte’s columbine, serpentine reedgrass, St. Helena morning glory, Calistoga navarettia, rough leaf aster, needle-leaved yellow linanthus, coast piperia, California lace fern, bristly linanthus, Wallace spike -moss, marsh zigadenus, Oakland star tulip, Mt. Tamalpais thistle, Marin dwarf flax, Marin County navarettia, Santa Cruz microseris, coast rock crest, California bottlebrush grass, California fremontia, Durango root, bristly leptosiphon, wind poppy, San Francisco gum plant, San Francisco leafy fleabane, black sage, tufted eschscholzia, wooly headed lessingia, fragrant fritillary, Baker’s navarettia, streamside daisy, featherleaf navarettia, Lobb’s buttercup, Tiburon indian paintbrush, Tiburon jewelflower, California grass of Parnassus, Tiburon mariposa lily, Santa Cruz clover, pitted onion, long-rayed brodiaea, serpentine coyote mint Challenges to Marin County’s biodiversity include controlling and eliminating invasive species because they displace native plants and can change ecosystem functions. Small shrubs are particularly hard to control because they may be widely distributed spatially. In addition to displacing native species, some invasive shrubs can form a dense understory beneath forest canopies, and ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 12 could alter fire behavior and severity. Invasive trees, shrubs, plants, and grasses in Marin County include: • Trees – acacia, blue gum eucalyptus, Monterey cypress, Monterey pine • Shrubs – cotoneaster, French broom, Himalayan blackberry, Pride of Madeira, Scotch broom, Spanish broom • Plants – Bullthistle, purple starthistle, wooly distaff thistle, yellow starthistle, fennel, highway iceplant (also known as Hottentot fig), perennial pepperweed (also known as tall whitetop), puncture vine, stinkwort, thoroughwort (also known as eupatorium) • Perennial Grasses – cordgrass, erect veldtgrass, Fescue, Harding grass, jubata grass/pampas grass, velvet grass • Annual Grasses – barbed goatgrass, Italian wildrye, medusahead, rattlesnake grass, wild oats 1.5.2 Watersheds and Water Districts There are more than 21,000 acres of protected watershed land on Mt. Tamalpais and in the west Marin hills, including seven reservoirs, which provide 75% of the water for central and southern Marin. The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) was founded in 1912 and manages the watershed land in central and southern Marin, including the seven reservoirs. The MMWD watershed has 92 miles of roads, 59 miles of trails, and a network of wildfire protection fuel breaks. Access and use of the lands by the public is limited to protect the natural landscape. During extreme fire weather conditions, such as Red Flag Warnings and other emergencies, vehicle access is limited on MMWD land.6 The North Marin Water District (NMWD),7 founded in 1948, is an independent special district in the northern portion of the county and operates under the authority of Division 12 of the California Water Code. NMWD provides water service to the greater Novato area and to areas of West Marin (Point Reyes Station, Olema, Bear Valley, Inverness Park and Paradise Ranch Estates). NMWD purchases approximately 80% of its Novato water supply from the Sonoma County Water Agency, with the remaining 20% derived from the District’s Stafford Lake Reservoir (located in Marin County just west of Novato) and recycled water (Bentley and Landeros, 2015). 6 https://www.marinwater.org/27/About 7 “Bon Tempe Lake” (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dbaron/9388923977/) by David Baron (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dbaron/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode). No changes were made to this image. Photo by David Baron7 ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 13 1.6 Marin County’s Wildland Urban Interface The WUI zone map used throughout this CWPP was assembled using geographic information system (GIS) data layers acquired from the Marin County GIS web portal, MarinMap.8 The WUI zone helps inform decisions on where to focus vegetation management and fuel reduction projects. The WUI zone determination is also a major component of MCFD’s Strategic Fire Plan (Marin County Fire Department, 2015), which in turn is part of CAL FIRE’s Strategic Fire Plan. Homes and structures located anywhere in and around the WUI are at a higher risk for exposure to wildland fire. Fire can spread rapidly throughout WUI areas through adjacent structures and/or vegetation, or by ember dispersion. Property owners in the WUI have a responsibility to prepare their property for structure defense by providing adequate defensible space and complying with WUI building codes and ordinances (see Section 7).9 The WUI boundaries for Marin County were determined based on areas with high structure density and proximity to areas with a high density of burnable fuels. 8 http://www.marinmap.org/Html5Viewer/Index.html?viewer=mmdataviewer&Run=WUILayerON&ServiceId=13&LayerName=U rban%20Wildland%20Interface&extent=5950502.26733493,2207544.30421775,5994476.00578578,2244189.08626013 9 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=prc&group=04001-05000&file=4291-4299 ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 14 Figure 4 shows Marin County’s WUI boundaries overlaid with population density ; as shown in the figure, much of the county’s population resides in or near the WUI. Figure 4. Population density in and around Marin County’s WUI. Unincorporated rural areas within the county include the coastal communities of Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, and Bolinas; communities near Tomales Bay including Olema, Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Inverness Park, Marshall, Tomales, and Dillon Beach; and rural areas in the interior valleys including Nicasio, Lagunitas, Forest Knolls, San Geronimo, and Woodacre. These communities are primarily situated within or adjacent to the WUI, with moderate to dense concentrations of structures. Marin County has approximately 60,000 acres of WUI adjacent to 200,000 acres of watershed. Response times in these communities present significant challenges to keeping fires from directly impacting the communities and sub- ● ● ● County Overview ● ● ● 15 divisions (especially those within the SRA) as emergency fire access and evacuation egress is limited by narrow, winding roads lined with dense vegetation. 1.7 Roads and Streets In Marin County, cul-de-sacs generally service new housing developments and most of the smaller canyons, valleys, and hillsides. Some planned unit developments are served by privately-maintained roads, which create access issues (i.e., narrow paved widths and limited on-street parking). According to California Fire Code specifications, roadways that are considered hazardous in terms of fire access and protection are those with • less than 20 feet of unobstructed paved surface and 13.6 vertical feet; • dead-ends longer than 800 feet, and; • cul-de-sac diameter less than 68 feet. Driveways that are less than 16 feet wide or that do not have adequate turnaround space are also considered hazardous. A large number of roadways and driveways in many of Marin County’s communities fall into one or more of the above categories. ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 17 2. Fire Environment The mix of weather, diverse vegetation and fuel characteristics, complex topography, and land use and development patterns in Marin County are important contributors to the fire environment. The MCFD Woodacre ECC currently manages data from four Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) for predicting fire danger utilizing the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) during the fire season. The RAWS are located in Woodacre, Middle Peak, Barnabe, and Big Rock , and a new station in Novato will be coming online soon. 2.1 Weather Marin County is bounded by the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west, the San Francisco and Richardson Bays to the southeast, the San Pablo Bay to the east, and Sonoma County agricultural lands to the north. The combination of these large bodies of water, location in the mid-latitudes, and the persistent high pressure over the eastern Pacific Ocean results in several micro-climates. Weather in the county consists of warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The climate in early fall and late spring is generally similar to the summer, and late fall is similar to winter. Spring is generally cool, but not as wet as the winter. While these general weather conditions are fairly representative of the typical Marin County weather, complex topography, annual variability of weather patterns, and less frequent and transient weather patterns are important to fire conditions. Summer Weather Conditions In the late spring through early fall, the combination of frequent and strong high-pressure systems (known as the Pacific High) over California combined with the cool waters of the ocean/bays results in persistent fog and low clouds along the coast (including over southern Marin County near the San Francisco Bay). The fog often penetrates into the inland valleys of northern and central Marin County, especially during overnight hours. At the coastline, mist from fog can keep the land surfaces modestly moist while inland land surfaces above the fog or inversion are often very dry. ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 18 The Pacific High that persists from late spring through early fall over the eastern Pacific, combined with a thermal low pressure over the Central Valley of California, results in an almost continuous sea breeze. These winds usher in cool and moist air and can be strong (15 to 25 mph), especially over the ridge tops and through northwest to southeast lying valleys, including San Geronimo/Ross, Hicks, and Lucas Valleys. These westerly winds are usually highest in the afternoon, decrease in the evening, and are light overnight before increasing again in the late morning/early afternoon. Extreme Summer Weather Conditions Occasionally in the summer and more often in the fall, the Pacific High moves inland and centers over Oregon and Idaho, while low pressure moves from the Central Valley of California to southern California and Arizona. The resulting north-to-south pressure gradient can be strong enough to retard the typical sea breeze and can even result in winds blowing from the land to the ocean (offshore winds). As the offshore winds move air from the Great Basin to the coastal areas of California, the air descends and compresses, which greatly warms and dries the air. Under these “Diablo” wind conditions, temperatures in Marin County can reach 100°F in the inland areas and even 80°F at the coast, and relative humidity can be very low. In addition, wind speeds can be high (20 to 40 mph) and gusty, and are often much faster over the mountains and ridge tops such as Mt. Tamalpais, Loma Alta, and Mt. Burdell compared to low-lying areas. Wind speeds can be high over the ridges and mountains at all times of day under this “offshore” wind pattern, and are often much slower or even calm at night in low-lying areas because nighttime cooling decouples the aloft winds from the surface winds. It is during these Diablo wind events that there is a high potential for large, wind-driven fires should there be an ignition. Historically, the largest and most destructive fires have occurred during these offshore (also known as Foehn) wind events, including the Angel Island and the Vision fires. A few times per year in the summer and early fall, monsoonal flow from Mexico brings in moist and unstable air over central and northern California, which can result in thunderstorms with or without precipitation. With the otherwise dry summer conditions, the lightning can ignite fires. These monsoonal flow patterns are usually only one to two day events. ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 19 Winter Weather Conditions Beginning in late November and lasting through the end of March, the Pacific High moves south and weakens, allowing storms that originate in the Gulf of Alaska to move over California. These storms bring precipitation and, at times, strong winds out of the south. Each storm usually results in one- fourth inch to several inches of rain over a day or so. Near Mt. Tamalpais, rainfall amounts are enhanced by orographic lifting, resulting in higher rain amounts in the Kentfield and Fairfax areas compared to the rest of the county. Typically, after the first rain in November, the cool weather and occasional storm keeps the ground wet through late Spring. However, in some years, significant rain does not occur until later in the year (e.g., early-to-late December) and there can be several weeks without any storms and rain. During storms, temperatures are usually mild. When there are no storms over California, a land-breeze typically forms (i.e., winds blowing from the Central Valley to the Pacific Ocean). These winds can reach 30 mph, and travel through the southeast to northwest lying valleys, over low-lying ridges such as the Marin Headlands, and through the Golden Gate. These winds are usually highest in the mid-morning hours and decrease in the afternoon as the Central Valley warms during the day. The winds are associated with cold and modestly moist air. Spring Transitional Conditions In late February/early March through late April, the Pacific High strengthens and moves north, and storms impacting the county become less frequent. During this time of year there is often a low pressure area over the desert in southwest California. The combination of the Pacific High to the north and low-pressure to the southwest results in strong winds blowing from the northwest to the southeast. Like the sea breeze, these winds bring in cool, moist air and are usually highest in the afternoon hours. Because of winter and spring rains, the land is wet and there is little danger of wildland fire despite the high winds and only occasional precipitation. There is often little coastal fog this time of year. 2.2 Vegetation and Fuels Characteristics Vegetation, which is also known as fuel, plays a major role in fire behavior and potential fire hazards. A fuel’s composition, including moisture level, chemical make-up, and density, determines its degree of flammability. Of these, fuel moisture level is the most important consideration. Generally, live trees contain a great deal of moisture while dead logs contain very little. The moisture content and ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 20 distribution of fuels define how quickly a fire can spread and how intense or hot it may become. High moisture content will slow the burning process since heat from the fire must first eliminate moisture. In addition to moisture, a fuel’s chemical makeup determines how readily it will burn. Some plants, shrubs, and trees such as chamise and eucalyptus (both present in Marin County) contain oils or resins that promote combustion, causing them to burn more easily, quickly, and intensely. Finally, the density of a fuel influences its flammability; when fuels are close together but not too dense, they will ignite each other, causing the fuel to spread readily. However, if fuels are so close that air cannot circulate easily, the fuel will not burn freely.10 Marin County has extensive topographic diversity that supports a variety of vegetation types. Environmental factors, such as temperature, precipitation, soil type, aspect, slope, and land use history, all help determine the existing vegetation at any given location. In the central and eastern parts of the county, north facing slopes are usually densely wooded from lower elevations to ridge peaks with a mixture of mostly hardwood tree species such as coast live oak, California bay, Pacific madrone, and other oak species. Marshlands are also present throughout the county; once ignited, marsh fires can be difficult to contain and extinguish. Grasslands with a mixture of native and nonnative annual and perennial plant species occur most often in the northern and western parts of the county due to a combination of soil type, lower rainfall, and a long history of ranching. The southern and western facing slopes tend to have a higher percentage of grasslands, which in turn have the potential to experience higher rates of fire spread. Grassland fires are dangerous even without extreme fire weather scenarios due to the rapid rate of fire spread; in some cases, fires spread so quickly that large areas can burn before response resources are able to arrive. In the west portion of the county closer to the coast, where precipitation is higher and marine influence is greater, most areas are densely forested with conifer species (i.e., Bishop pine, Douglas-fir, and coast redwood) and associated hardwood species. Chaparral vegetation also occurs in parts of the county, especially on steeper south and west facing slopes. This mix of densely forested areas mixed with chaparral results in higher fuel loads and potentially higher fire intensity. Expansion of the residential community into areas of heavier vegetation has resulted in homes existing in close proximity to dense natural foliage; these homes are often completely surrounded by highly combustible or tall vegetation, increasing the potential that wildland fires could impact them. 10 http://www.nps.gov/fire/wildland-fire/learning-center/fire-in-depth/fire-behavior.cfm ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 21 As part of the development of this CWPP, an updated vegetation map layer was created using the most recent vegetation information available from a variety of state and local data sources. Vegetation distribution in Marin County is characterized by approximately 20 different types of vegetation which have been classified into 15 fire behavior fuel models. Table 7 lists the fuel model types for Marin County, while Figure 5 shows a fuel model map; the data shown was developed to support this CWPP and represent the most up-to-date and highest-resolution vegetation coverage information for the county. The methods used to develop the data set are described in Appendix A. Table 7. Fuel model types for Marin County. Scott & Burgan Fuel Model Description and Number Acres Percent of County Total Moderate load, dry climate grass (104) 79,727 24% Short, sparse, dry climate grass (101) 62,050 18% Very high load broadleaf litter (189) 51,227 15% Low load, humid climate timber-shrub (144) 29,637 9% Very high load, dry climate timber-shrub (165) 29,120 9% High load, dry climate shrub (145) 24,186 7% Urban/developed (91) 18,714 6% Low load compact conifer litter (181) 7,008 2% Moderate load dry climate shrub (142) 6,308 2% Low load, very coarse, humid climate grass (103) 6,147 2% Very high load, dry climate shrub (147) 5,572 2% Open water (98) 5,514 2% Moderate load, humid climate timber-grass-shrub (163) 2,324 1% Bare ground (99) 2,169 1% Other 6,412 2% Total 336,116 100% ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 22 Figure 5. Updated high-resolution (5 x 5 meter) fuel model map for Marin County. 2.2.1 Vegetation Diseases and Infestations Insect infestations and plant diseases, such as California oak mortality syndrome (sudden oak death), are increasing and threaten to change the structure and overall health of native plant communities in Marin County (May & Associates Inc., 2015). Sudden oak death has no known cure and is the biggest concern; this syndrome is caused by the fungus-like Phytophthora ramorum, which has led to widespread mortality of several tree species in California since the mid-1990s; the tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) in particular appears to have little or no resistance to the disease. Sudden oak death has resulted in stands of essentially dead trees with very low fuel moistures. Studies examining the impacts of sudden oak death on fire behavior indicate that while predicted surface fire behavior in sudden oak death stands seems to conform to a common fuel model already in use for ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 23 hardwood stands, the very low moisture content of dead tanoak leaves may lead to crown ignitions more often during fires of “normal” intensity (Lee, 2009).11 Two other plant diseases prevalent in Marin County are pitch canker (which affects conifers such as Bishop pine and other pine species), and madrone twig dieback (which affects Pacific madrones). Pitch canker is caused by the fungus Fusarium circinatum (F. subglutinans, F. sp. pini), which enters the tree through wounds caused by insects. While some trees do recover, most infected trees are eventually killed by the fungus. Management of this disease largely focuses on containment to reduce the fungus spreading to other trees. Pitch canker is a particular issue in the NPS lands of Pt. Reyes National Seashore, where many acres of young Bishop pines that were seeded on the Inverness Ridge by the Mount Vision Fire of 1995 have been infected. These dead and dying trees have created large swaths of land with dense and dry fuel loads. Madrone twig dieback is caused by the native fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea, and appears to be getting worse throughout the county due to drought effects on Pacific madrones. Three additional threats to trees common to Marin County include: • Bark and ambrosia beetles (Monarthrum dentiger and monarthrum scutellare), which target oak and tanoak trees. Sudden oak death may be exacerbating the effects of beetle infestations which prey on trees already weakened by this disease. • Root rot, caused by oak root fungus (Armillaria mellea), is primarily associated with oaks and other hardwoods but also attacks conifers. These fungal infestations cause canopy thinning and branch dieback and can kill mature trees. As with the beetle infestations, sudden oak death may be exacerbating the effects of root rot fungus in the county forests. • Velvet-top fungus (Phaeolus schweinitzii) is a root rot fungus affecting Douglas-fir and other conifers, with the infection typically occurring through a wound. 11 “Dead Coast Live Oak in Marin.Steve Swain[1]” (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfsregion5/5812704230/) by the USFS Region 5 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfsregion5/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode). No changes were made to this image. Photo by USFS Region 511 ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 24 2.3 Topography Topography characterizes the land surface features of an area in terms of elevation, aspect, and slope. Aspect is the compass direction that a slope faces, which can have a strong influence on surface temperature, and more importantly on fuel moistures. Both elevation and aspect play an important role in the type of vegetation present, the length of the growing season, and the amount of sunlight absorbed by vegetation. Generally, southern aspects receive more solar radiation than northern aspects; the result is that soil and vegetation on southern aspects is warmer and dryer than soil and vegetation on northern aspects. Slope is a measure of land steepness and can significantly influence fire behavior as fire tends to spread more rapidly on steeper slopes. For example, as slope increases from 20 – 40%, flame heights can double and rates of fire spread can increase fourfold; from 40 – 60%, flame heights can become three times higher and rates of spread can increase eightfold.12 Marin County is topographically diverse, with rolling hills, valleys and ridges that trend from northwest to southeast. Elevation throughout the county varies considerably, with Mt. Tamalpais’ peak resting at 2,574 feet above sea level and many communities at or near sea level. Correspondingly, there is considerable diversity in slope percentages. The San Geronimo Valley slopes run from level (in the valley itself) to near 70%. Mt. Barnabe has slopes that run from 20 to 70%, and Throckmorton ridge has slopes that range in steepness from 40 – 100%. These slope changes can make fighting fires extremely difficult. 2.4 Fire History In the time before the county was settled, fire was a natural part of the ecosystem. Much of the vegetation in what is now the wildlands of Marin County depended on fire to renew itself by removing old, dead fuel in order to make room for healthy new vegetation and promote the growth of native plant species. Once the land was settled, businessmen, landowners, and homeowners had an interest in protecting the natural assets of Marin County and their own investments. Uncontrolled fires had already burned large tracts in the past and valuable lumber, structures, and field crops had 12 Adapted from the S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior course material (National Wildfire Coordinating Group, http://training.nwcg.gov/courses/s290.html) ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 25 been destroyed. A series of fires that occurred in the late 1800s prompted the organization of the first fire departments in Marin County around the turn of the century.13 Since then, national fire suppression policies and practices (among other factors) have contributed to the continuous growth (and overgrowth) of vegetation resulting in dangerous fuel density, or fuel loads. Combined with this fuel accumulation, the public have been building homes closer and closer to wildlands, which is creating the WUI fire issues that are now present in many parts of Marin County and the country. Throughout its history, Marin County has experienced many wildland fires. Figure 6 shows a map of large fires that have occurred in Marin’s WUI. 13 Adapted from http://www.marincounty.org/depts/fr/divisions/administration/history/1910 ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 26 Figure 6. Map of large fires that have occurred in Marin County’s WUI. The most recent Marin County fire that resulted in significant structure loss was the Vision Fire in 1995, which destroyed 48 structures in the community of Inverness. In 1929, the base of Mt. Tamalpais —specifically the community of Mill Valley—experienced a significant fire known as the Great Mill Valley Fire. That fire’s footprint is now developed with more than 1,100 homes (valued at $1.3 billion) which have significantly altered the natural vegetation through urban and suburban development. 2.5 Ignition History Ignition data for all authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ) were acquired and analyzed to evaluate ignition trends within the county. Figure 7 and Table 8 present the fire statistics for the county from 1972 through 2014. Figure 8 shows a map of the ignition history for all AHJ for 2002 through 2011, classified by ignition category. ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 27 Figure 7. Fire statistics for Marin County from 1974 through 2014. Table 8. Fire cause and size classification references. Cause Class Cause Class Reference Size Class (acres) Size Class Reference Lightning 1 0 - 0.25 A Vehicles, Powerlines, Equipment Use 2 0.26 - 9.9 B Smoking 3 10 - 99.9 C Campfire 4 100 - 299 D Debris Burning 5 300 - 999 E Railroad 6 1000 - 4999 F Arson 7 5000+ G Accidental, Playing with Fire 8 Miscellaneous, Unknown, Undetermined 9 Figure 7 identifies the significant wildfire ignition sources and fire sizes over the 42-year ignition history. Cause and size classes refer to uniform federal, state, and local fire cause and size classifications, which are shown in Table 8. ● ● ● Fire Environment ● ● ● 28 Figure 8. Map of ignition history data for all AHJ in Marin County from 2002 through 2011. Recent research indicates higher summer temperatures will likely increase the annual window of high fire risk. Future changes in fire frequency and severity are difficult to predict; however, regional climate change associated with elevated greenhouse gas concentrations could alter large weather patterns and produce conditions conducive to extreme fire behavior. A warmer climate will bring drier winters, higher spring temperatures, and early snowmelt. Combined with drought conditions, this leads to drier soils in early summer, drier vegetation, and an increase in the number of days in the year with flammable fuels, all which further raise the likelihood of fires.14 Fuel and vegetation treatments will be challenging to implement at spatial scales large enough to make a difference, especially if the number of wildfires increase greatly in the future; still, fuel and vegetation treatments can enhance resilience in areas with high resource and economic values such as the WUI. 14 http://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/wildland-fire ● ● ● Collaboration ● ● ● 29 3. Collaboration A key requirement when developing a CWPP is stakeholder and community involvement and collaboration. A CWPP provides a mechanism for obtaining community input and identifying high risk areas, possible fire hazards, and potential projects intended to mitigate areas of concern and fire hazard. This Plan integrated this community-focused approach through a number of public and stakeholder meetings and is intended to provide the community a forum for identifying assets and communities at risk from wildfire. Stakeholder input and review was actively sought throughout the development of this CWPP. The information contained in this plan is a reflection of county stakeholders and the public working together to develop a living document that can be used over the next 5 to 10 years to implement the recommended action plan described in Section 8. In addition to feedback from elected officials and public citizens throughout Marin County’s cities and towns, Table 9 lists the stakeholders comprised of fire agencies, land management agencies, utility operators, homeowners associations, FIRESafe MARIN, and other private and public entities that participated in this CWPP process. Table 9. Participants in this CWPP process. Public, Private, and Volunteer Fire Agencies and Associations Marin County Fire Department Ross Valley Fire Department San Rafael Fire Department Southern Marin Fire Protection District Tiburon Fire Protection District Corte Madera Fire Department Larkspur Fire Department Marinwood Fire Department Mill Valley Fire Department Novato Fire Protection District Bolinas Fire Protection District Stinson Beach Fire Protection District Inverness Public Utilities District Nicasio Volunteer Fire Department CAL FIRE Skywalker Ranch Fire Brigade Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department Kentfield Fire Protection District Tomales Volunteer Fire Department Marin County Fire Chiefs Association (Mark Heine, Pres.) Land Management Agencies National Park Service Marin Municipal Water District Marin County Parks and Open Space District California State Parks Private Groups and Foundations Pacific Gas and Electric North Bay Conservation Corps Homeowners Associations Homeowners Associations throughout Marin County West Marin ranch and agricultural landowners Large private landowners ● ● ● Collaboration ● ● ● 30 3.1 FIRESafe MARIN FIRESafe MARIN (FSM), Marin County’s Fire Safe Council, promotes public and private partnerships to enhance wildfire safety and build Firewise Communities.15 FSM is a nonprofit organization with the dual mission of reducing wildland fire hazards and improving fire-safety awareness in Marin County. FSM receives significant investments through CAL FIRE SRA Grants, PG&E Grants, other state and federal entities, and private donations. This CWPP work was funded through a CAL FIRE SRA grant to FSM. 3.2 Fire Agencies To engage local fire departments and agencies in the CWP P process, a stakeholder meeting was held specifically for fire chiefs representing all fire departments in the county. The meeting was held on August 20, 2015, from 9:00-11:30 a.m. at the Novato Fire District administrative office. Meeting attendance included at least one representative from each department or district in Marin County. The format of the meeting included a brief presentation by the CWPP team followed by a question and answer session. During this meeting, the fire chiefs were asked to identify the areas of concern and hazard mitigation projects within their jurisdictions (see Figure 9 in Section 4.1.1). This information was processed for use in developing this CWPP. 3.3 Land Management Agencies To en gage Marin’s land management agencies, three stakeholder meetings were held. The format of the meetings included a brief CWPP project update followed by a question and answer session. Each land management agency was asked to provide information regarding areas of concern and hazard mitigation projects within their jurisdictions. This information was processed for use in developing this CWPP. The cities within Marin County, along with land management agencies, work to reduce fire hazards as directed by their management and planning documents. Planning is driven by the goals of protecting natural habitat and special species while managing the growth of invasive species. Management strategies can be challenging and require interagency cooperation and collaboration in fuel break and fuel reduction areas. Emphasis during fuel treatment planning will need to consider how to minimize the introduction, spread, and removal of invasive species. Agencies within Marin County include: 15 The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) established the Firewise Communities Program to encourage local fire safety solutions by involving homeowners to take individual responsibility for preparing their homes for the risks of wildfires. The Firewise program uses their website (http://www.firewise.org/) to provide information and promotes ways to keep homes from igniting. ● ● ● Collaboration ● ● ● 31 • National Park Service – works under the guidance of a Fire Management Plan (FMP) which has gone through the federal environmental compliance process. The FMP’s priority is to increase the reduction of hazardous fuels in high priority areas using prescribed fire and mechanical treatments (e.g., along road corridors, around structures, and in strategic areas to create fuel breaks). • Marin Municipal Water District – currently operates under the Mt. Tamalpais Area Vegetation Management Plan (VMP). The MMWD released its draft Wildfire Protection and Habitat Improvement Plan in August 2012 (Leonard Charles and Associates, 2012). • Marin County Parks and Open Space District – released its draft Vegetation and Biodiversity Management Plan (VBMP) in April 2015 to direct resource management efforts on the county’s 34 preserves to maintain and increase biodiversity while reducing the risk of wildfire (May & Associates Inc., 2015). MCOSD manages nearly 16,000 acres including an extensive network of approximately 249 miles of roads and trails. A significant portion of MCOSD’s preserves are adjacent to private homes, structures, and evacuation routes; consequently, a great deal of effort is involved in working with neighbors and other local agencies to resolve disputes over responsibility for fuel reduction and defensible space. • CA State Parks – reviews all proposed fuel breaks and vegetation modification zones for environmental impacts. The impacts of greatest concern are the spread and proliferation of invasive species and the cost of invasive management in the fuel reduction zones, fragmentation of suitable habitat for native species, impacts to listed and special status species, and sediment issues associated with an increase in bare soil. In lieu of installing fuel breaks, the State Parks work with MCFD on vegetation modification zones to reduce fire hazards. Vegetation modification areas were completed to State Parks specifications to meet the goals of fuel reduction while minimizing environmental impacts. State Parks treat many fuel modification zones due to increases in invasive plant infestations in the locations where vegetation modification has been employed. • Marin Audubon Society – established in 1956 as part of the effort to prevent development of houses on Richardson Bay tidelands. The Marin Audubon Society (MAS) was one of the founders of Audubon Canyon Ranch, and was instrumental in protecting Bothin Marsh in Mill Valley and the Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge in San Rafael, which supports the largest heron rookery in San Francisco Bay. MAS restores wetlands on its properties and then donates many of them to the California Department of Fish and Game and the Marin County Open Space District.16 3.4 Community Stakeholders To capture the issues and concerns of private land and homeowners, neighborhood groups, civic organizations, professional organizations, and environmental groups, a series of public meetings 16 http://www.marinaudubon.org/about.php#mission ● ● ● Collaboration ● ● ● 32 were conducted in four regions of the county: Mill Valley (southern Marin County); Pt. Reyes (west Marin County); San Anselmo (central Marin County); and Novato (northern Marin County). The meetings were publicized through local fire departments and agencies, the FSM website, county websites, and print media, and email invitations were sent to several hundred individuals and groups. Table 10 lists the public meeting dates, times, and locations. Table 10. Marin County CWPP public meeting dates, time, and locations. Date and time Location October 12, 2015, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Mill Valley Community Center, Mountain View Room October 13, 2015, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Pt. Reyes Bear Valley Visitors Center, Red Barn Room October 14, 2015, 6:00-7:30 p.m. San Anselmo, City Council Chambers October 15, 2015, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Novato, City Hall The meeting format consisted of a brief presentation (approximately 20 minutes) conducted by various members of the CWPP team and included an overview of the purpose of preparing a CWPP, the CWPP process, and Marin’s fire history. The remaining 60- 70 minutes included a question and answer session managed by the CWPP team to ensure that participants had an opportunity to voice their concerns. The concerns and ideas expressed during the public meetings were captured in meeting notes. Public concerns regarding fire hazards were fairly consistent throughout the county, and Table 11 includes a summary of these concerns. ● ● ● Collaboration ● ● ● 33 Table 11. Summary of the public’s concerns regarding fire hazards throughout Marin County. Concerns Suggestions Evacuation routes - Prioritize evacuation routes for fuel reduction programs - Develop traffic congestion controls along evacuation routes - Implement stronger parking enforcement along evacuation routes - Continue to maintain foot trail network in Mill Valley - Implement maintenance program for foot trail network in Fairfax - Encourage community-level drills for evacuation preparedness - Consider if additional vegetation reduction are required from roadways that are key evacuation routes into or out of a particular neighborhood Defensible space - Increase the number of annual inspections - Increase enforcement - Consider providing defensible space financial assistance for seniors - Increase chipper programs Cooperation with large land managers/owners - Provide a collaboration mechanism between private property owners (and Home Owners Associations) and large land owners (i.e., MCOSD, MMWD, NPS) - Consider the creation of transition zones (areas between developed residential areas and open space areas) where additional defensible space or additional vegetation clearance is needed Absentee property owners - Better enforce defensible space compliance with absentee property owners - Develop a program to address fuel reduction on vacant properties Fuel reduction - Consider grazing as a fuel reduction strategy Increased use of technology for fire protection - Develop an App for Marin County evacuation routes - Consider ways to improve the coverage of the fire detection cameras - Consider ways to use drone technology for fire protection Public Education/Outreach - Develop and distribute more information about fire resistant landscaping - Create a fire blog Tree removal - Consider how to make the tree removal process less cumbersome and less expensive ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 35 4. Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach Wildfire threat can be defined as the result of an analysis of potential fire behavior and the likelihood of fire to occur relative to the assets (or communities) at risk. CAL FIRE is required by law to map areas of significant fire hazards based on fuels, terrain, weather, and other relevant factors. These zones, referred to as Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ), influence how people construct buildings and protect property to reduce risk associated with wildland fires. The maps were last updated in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, and are currently being updated by CAL FIRE to incorporate improved fire science, data, and mapping techniques (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 2007). While the CAL FIRE FHSZ maps are useful in examining potential fire hazard severity at the state- level, the underlying data and methods used to develop the FHSZ maps can be improved upon by using local (and more recent) fuel characteristics and improved fire modeling methods. The CAL FIRE FHSZ maps also do not take into account local perspectives and priorities regarding communities at risk and areas of concern. To improve upon the currently available state-level fire hazard assessment information, an independent hazard, asset, risk assessment was performed to help identify and prioritize areas within the county that are potentially at a high threat from wildfire based on more recent fuels data, advanced modeling techniques, and local input. The assessment was performed by modeling potential fire behavior and the probability or likelihood that an area will burn given an ignition. Next, the fire modeling output was combined with areas of concern and assets at risk. Composite maps were generated indicating relative potential fire hazards throughout the county. 4.1 Assets at Risk Assets at risk are defined as structures and resources that can be damaged or destroyed by wildland fire. Assets in Marin County include real estate (homes and businesses), emergency communication facilities, transportation and utility infrastructure, watersheds, protected wildlands, tourist and recreation areas, and agricultural lands. In addition to providing a framework for protecting citizens and providing for firefighter safety, the California Fire Plan identifies the following assets warranting consideration in pre-fire planning: watersheds and water; wildlife; habitat; special status plants and animals; scenic, cultural and historic areas; recreation; rangeland; structures; infrastructure; and air quality. ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 36 There are approximately 111,000 living units in Marin County with a median home value of approximately $1 million (Mara, 2015). As many homes in the county are located in the WUI, if a major wildland fire were to result in the loss of many homes, it could have a short-term negative impact on Marin County’s property tax base. The Mt. Tamalpais watershed supplies central and southern Marin County with 75% of their fresh water. Given the area’s seasonal rainfall, any major wildfire impacting the heavily forested watershed will result in major silting and subsequent degradation of water quantity and quality in the watershed. This watershed—as well as the lands managed by MCOSD, state parks, and NPS—are largely contiguous. They harbor several endangered, threatened, and special-status species, including the coho salmon and northern spotted owl. The area is also part of a major migrating bird flyway and nesting area.17 Marin County is also a major tourist destination. Major parks within Marin County include California State Parks (Mt. Tamalpais, Samuel P. Taylor, and China Cam p), NPS’s GGNRA, Muir Woods National Monument, and Point Reyes National Seashore. The Point Reyes National Seashore and Muir Woods National Monument together attract 3.5 million visitors annually. The GGNRA, a majority of which resides within Marin County, attracts an additional 14.9 million visitors per year and contributes an estimated $365.2 million annually to the economy (Prado, 2016). A major wildfire affecting any of these parks could have negative impacts on the local economy for years after the event. Finally, Marin County’s agricultural land base includes nearly 137,000 acres of privately owned agriculturally zoned land and 32,000 acres of federally-owned land that is leased to agricultural operators. Agricultural operations include livestock and livestock products; aquaculture; field crops; and fruit, vegetable, and nursery crops. The gross value of all agricultural production was approximately $101 million in 2014 (Marin County Department of Agriculture, 2014). To help protect people and property from potential catastrophic wildfire, the National Fire Plan identifies communities that are at high risk of damage from wildfire. These high risk communities identified within the WUI were published in the Federal Register in 2001. In California, CAL FIRE has the responsibility for managing the list.18 With 17 “Mt Tamalpais Watershed from Mt Tamalpais summit” (https://www.flickr.com/photos/miguelvieira/2440494686/in/photostream/) by Miquel Vieira (https://www.flickr.com/photos/miguelvieira/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode). No changes were made to this image. 18 National Fire Plan Communities at Risk List, http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/fireplan/fireplanning_communities_at_risk (last accessed February 3, 2016) Photo by Miquel Vieira17 ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 37 California's extensive WUI situation, the list of communities extends beyond just those adjacent to Federal lands; there are 1,329 communities currently on the California Communities at Risk List. Marin County has 23 of these at risk communities, as shown in Table 12. A countywide assessment of the wildland fire threat undertaken by CAL FIRE revealed that nearly 313,000 acres (approximately 82% of the total land area of the county) are ranked as having moderate to very high fire hazard severity zone ratings. Table 12. Marin County communities at risk and fire district jurisdiction. Community Fire Department/District Bolinas Bolinas Fire Protection District Corte Madera Corte Madera Fire Department Fairfax Ross Valley Fire Department Inverness Inverness Fire Department Inverness Park Inverness Fire Department Kentfield Kentfield Fire Protection District Lagunitas-Forest Knolls Marin County Fire Department Larkspur Larkspur Fire Department Lucas Valley-Marinwood Marinwood Fire Department Marin City Marin County Fire Department Mill Valley Mill Valley Fire Department Novato Novato Fire Protection District Olema Marin County Fire Department Ross Ross Valley Fire Department San Anselmo Ross Valley Fire Department San Rafael San Rafael Fire Department Santa Venetia San Rafael Fire Department Sausalito Southern Marin Fire Protection District Stinson Beach Stinson Beach Fire Protection District Strawberry Southern Marin Fire Protection District Tamalpais-Homestead Valley Southern Marin Fire Protection District Tiburon Tiburon Fire Protection District Woodacre Marin County Fire Department ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 38 4.1.1 Areas of Concern One of the objectives in developing this CWPP was to compile and begin to prioritize a list of hazard reduction strategies and projects throughout the county. As part of the CWPP process, fire departments, land management agencies, and other stakeholders were asked to identify and provide information about the areas they are most concerned about within their jurisdictions. Not surprisingly, almost all of the areas identified by stakeholders fall within Marin’s WUI boundary. Figure 9 shows a map of the areas of concern identified by stakeholder agencies. Figure 9. Map of the areas of concern identified by stakeholder agencies in Marin County. 4.1.2 Fire Road and Fuelbreak Networks Historically, fuel reduction efforts have focused on maintaining Marin’s main fire road and fuel break networks that extend from the shore of the San Francisco Bay in Sausalito to Lagunitas. This network of fire roads and fuel breaks generally follows ridge top emergency access roads and incorporates ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 39 natural (existing grassland) or human-made features (e.g., golf course). In addition, there are lateral fuel breaks that extend from the primary fuel break to the east, and specific fuel breaks and projects (i.e., prescribed burns, fuel removal projects) implemented to protect specific communities. Maintaining fire roads and fuelbreaks that provide access for firefighting equipment and personnel to undeveloped areas is important. In addition to the areas of concern and fuel break information, agencies provided information about fuel reduction projects and/or hazard mitigation efforts within their jurisdictions. Appendix B provides a list of the areas of concern information and hazard mitigation efforts provided by the stakeholder agencies listed in alphabetical order by agency name (not in order of priority). Appendix B also includes a list of past, current, and/or planned projects from the 2015 Marin Unit Fire Plan. The lists in Appendix B are intended to provide a starting point for identifying and prioritizing a more complete, countywide list of future fuel reduction and outreach projects. 4.2 Risk Assessment Approach To help identify and prioritize areas within the county that are potentially at a high risk of threat from wildfire, a hazard, asset, risk assessment was performed using recently updated fuels data and representative weather scenarios. Figure 10 shows the steps used to perform the hazard, asset, risk assessment. ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 40 Figure 10. The steps used to perform the hazard, asset, risk assessment. ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 41 4.2.1 Step 1: Prepare Community Base Map and Areas of Concern A base map of Marin County was assembled using GIS data layers acquired primarily from Marin County’s GIS portal, marinmap.org. The base map included map layers of political boundaries, fire districts, land ownership, census data, infrastructure, building footprints, a parcel map, WUI boundaries, sensitive habitats, and areas of concern. Information regarding areas of concern was provided by each stakeholder agency and was digitized and merged into one GIS map layer (see Section 4.1.1 and Figure 9). The community base map and corresponding map layers were made available for viewing through an ESRI ArcOnline website. 4.2.2 Step 2: Prepare Vegetation and Fuel Model Data FlamMap is a fire behavior model that can be used to predict potential fire behavior based on fuels (and fuel moisture), topography, and weather conditions. As part of the development of this CWPP, an updated, high-resolution (5 x 5 meter) gridded vegetation map was developed using a combination of vegetation data provided by local land management agencies and recently obtained LiDAR measurements (see Section 2.2 and Appendix A). The 5 x 5 meter data were used as input to FlamMap for modeling potential fire behavior. 4.2.3 Step 3: Acquire Local Weather and Fuel Moisture Data In addition to fuel characteristics, the FlamMap fire behavior model requires information about fuel moisture and weather conditions. Two fire weather scenarios were chosen to represent annual wildfire conditions for an average fire season and a fire season under extreme fire conditions. The average fire season scenario was created by summarizing the weather and fuel moisture parameters from April through October (a typical fire season), and was used to represent the fire weather conditions during a typical summer day in Marin County. The extreme fire conditions scenario was created using the 97th percentile weather data from July through October, and represents the hottest and driest time periods during the summer months when fire behavior would be the most intense and difficult to control. The fire weather statistics model, IFT-FireFamilyPlus, available through the Interagency Fuels Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS), was used summarize fuel moisture, wind speed, and wind direction data for each fire weather scenario for four RAWS available in the Weather Information Management System (WIMS). Data were summarized by station and weather scenario for the Mt. Barnaby, Big Rock, Woodacre, and Middle Peak RAWS stations (Figure 11). Because there was little variability in the data values among the four RAWS stations for each scenario, data from the four stations were averaged to represent the county as a whole. Table 1 3 lists the fuel moisture and weather values for the average fire season and extreme fire conditions scenarios. ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 42 Figure 11. RAWS station locations in Marin County. Note that data from the Robinhood site in Novato were not used for this analysis as the data were not yet available. Table 13. Fuel moisture and weather values used for the average fire season and extreme fire conditions modeling scenarios. Parameter (units) Average Fire Season Extreme Fire Conditions 1-hour fuel moisture 8% 3% 10-hour fuel moisture 10% 4% 1,000-hour fuel moisture 13% 6% Herbaceous fuel moisture 17% 4% Live wood fuel moisture 73% 65% Wind speed 6 miles per hour 15 miles per hour Wind direction 216° 206° ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 43 4.2.4 Step 4: Prepare a Population Density Map Population density data for Marin County were acquired from the U .S. Census Bureau. The data were mapped and used in the hazard, value, risk assessment to identify populated areas, which represent areas with high structure density. These data were used as a surrogate for representing areas of high asset value that are important from a fire protection perspective. Figure 12 shows the population density map for Marin County. Figure 12. Population density in Marin County based on the 2010 Census. 4.2.5 Step 5: Perform Fire Behavior M odeling Wildfire modeling attempts to predict fire behavior, such as how quickly a fire might spread, how much heat it might generate, and in which direction it might move. Most fire behavior models require three key inputs: (1) fuel model information, (2) fuel moisture, and (3) weather. Fire behavior modeling can provide an indication of how difficult a fire might be to suppress and the likelihood of ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 44 fire transition from the ground to the tree canopy, which can help identify areas where extreme fire behavior may occur. The FlamMap fire behavior model was used to model flame length and rate of spread. Flame length is commonly used as a gauge of fire potential because it provides an indicator of possible fire behavior from a suppression perspective. Table 1 4 shows the fire suppression interpretations of flame length; fires with lower flame lengths are typically easier to suppress while fires with higher flame lengths are much more difficult. Table 14. Fire suppression interpretations of flame length and fire line intensity. Flame Length (feet) Fire Intensity (btu/feet/second) Interpretations 0-4 0-100 Fires can generally be attacked at the head or flanks by persons using hand tools. Hand line should hold the fire. 4-8 100-500 Fires are too intense for direct attack on the head by persons using hand tools. Hand line cannot be relied on to hold fires. Equipment such as bulldozers, engines, and retardant aircraft can be effective. 8-11 500-1,000 Fires may present serious control problems – torching out, crowning, and spotting. Control efforts at the head of the fire will probably be ineffective. 11+ 1,000+ Crowning, spotting, and major runs are common. Control efforts at the head of the fire will probably be ineffective. Rate of spread is an indicator of how rapidly a fire might spread, and is defined as the rate of forward spread of the fire head expressed in feet per minute. FlamMap runs were performed for the two weather scenarios identified in Table 13 using the custom fuel model data developed for Marin County (see Figure 5 in Section 2.2) and topographical data (slope, aspect, and elevation). ● ● ● Hazard, Asset, Risk Assessment Approach ● ● ● 45 4.2.6 Step 6: Develop Composite Maps The population density maps and fire behavior modeling maps shown in this section are 5 x 5 meter gridded (or raster) GIS data layers. The composite maps from the hazard, value, risk assessment were composed using a suitability modeling approach. Suitability modeling is a GIS-based method used for identifying areas based on specific criteria. For this work , suitability modeling was used to identify areas of high fire hazard (or concern) based on fire behavior potentials, population density, and proximity to areas of concern. The Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS software, Spatial Analyst, was used for this analysis. Spatial Analyst is a raster- or grid-based software package that provides a platform for developing and manipulating gridded data. Spatial Analyst can be used to develop suitability models that produce maps highlighting “suitable” geographic areas based on defined model criteria and weighting schemes. 4.2.7 Step 7: Develop Rankings for Areas of Concern The area of concern map (Figure 9 in Section 4.1.1) was overlaid on the composite population, flame length, and rate of spread map (Step 5 above). Using GIS software, spatial statistics were calculated within each polygon boundary representing an area of concern. Within each polygon boundary, the underlying composite grid cell values were averaged; the sum of all grid cell values falling within a polygon boundary was divided by the number of grid cells within the boundary. The result is a relative ranking of the areas of concern across the county. The highest ranking areas indicate places that may be of highest concern in terms of both fire hazard and population. This information can be used to prioritize areas of concern and potential fuel reduction strategies. ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 47 5. Modeling Results The approach outlined in Section 4.2 was used to perform the hazard, asset, risk assessment modeling using the population density data (Figure 12) and the weather and fuel moisture data for both the average fire season and extreme fire conditions scenarios (Table 13). The remainder of this section discusses the modeling results. 5.1 Average Fire Season Modeling Results The average fire season modeling scenario is based on the fuel moisture and weather data shown in Table 1 3 in Section 4.2.3. Modeled flame length for the average fire season scenario is shown in Figure 13; red and orange show potential flame lengths greater than 8 feet, indicating areas that might exhibit more extreme fire behavior and/or be relatively more hazardous from a fire suppression perspective (see Table 14 in Section 4.2.5). Figure 13. Potential flame length for the average fire season weather scenario. ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 48 Rate of spread is defined as the rate of forward spread of the fire head expressed in feet per minute. The higher the rate of spread, the more difficult a fire is to suppress. The rate of spread model output for the average fire season scenario is shown in Figure 14; orange and red show areas where more extreme fire behavior is likely given an ignition. Figure 14. Predicted rate of spread for the average fire season weather scenario. ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 49 Using GIS data processing techniques (see Section 4.2.6), the population density, flame length, and rate of spread maps were merged and processed to identify areas that have very high population density, flame lengths, and rate of spread. Figure 15 shows this composite map; red and orange show areas of very high to high population density, flame length, and rate of spread. These are areas of high asset value where fire behavior is likely to be extreme. Figure 15. Composite map of population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the average fire season model scenario. ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 50 To help prioritize areas of the county where fuel reduction and hazard mitigation efforts might be focused, Figure 14 was overlaid with the areas of concern boundaries (Figure 9 in Section 4.1.1), and GIS processing methods were used to calculate spatial statistics within these areas of concern (see Section 4.2.7). This information was used to rank the areas of concern, shown in Figure 16. Figure 16. Areas of concern rankings in Marin County based on population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the average fire season model scenario. The red areas in Figure 16 indicate the top 33% of the areas of concern, where population density, flame length, and rate of spread could all be potentially very high. The orange areas indicate the middle 33% (high), and the green indicate the lower 33% (moderate). ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 51 5.2 Extreme Fire Conditions Modeling Results The extreme fire conditions modeling scenario is based on the fuel moisture and weather data shown in Table 13. Modeled flame length for the extreme fire season scenario is shown in Figure 17; red and orange show potential flame lengths greater than 8 feet, indicating areas that would likely exhibit more extreme fire behavior and be relatively more hazardous from a fire suppression perspective (see Table 14). Note that under the extreme fire conditions scenario, much more of the county area has flame length above 8 feet compared to the average fire season scenario shown in Figure 13. Figure 17. Potential flame length for the extreme fire conditions scenario. ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 52 The rate of spread model output for the extreme fire conditions scenario is shown in Figure 18; red and orange show areas that are likely to exhibit more extreme fire behavior. Under the extreme fire conditions scenario, rates of spread are greater in northwestern regions of the county. Figure 18. Predicted rate of spread for the extreme fire conditions scenario. ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 53 Using GIS data processing techniques (see Section 4.2.6), the population density, flame length, and rate of spread maps were merged to identify areas that have very high population density, flame lengths, and rate of spread. Figure 19 shows this composite map for the extreme fire conditions scenario; red and orange show areas of very high to high population density, flame length, and rate of spread. Again, note that under the extreme fire conditions scenario, much more of the county area is located in these very high to high condition areas compared to the average fire season scenario shown in Figure 15. Figure 19. Composite map of population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the extreme fire conditions scenario. ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 54 To help prioritize areas of the county where fuel reduction and hazard mitigation efforts might be focused, Figure 19 was overlaid with the areas of concern boundaries (Figure 9 in Section 4.1.1), and GIS processing methods were used to calculate spatial statistics within these areas of concern (see Section 4.2.7). This information was used to rank the areas of concern, shown in Figure 20. Figure 20. Areas of concern rankings in Marin County based on population density, flame length, and rate of spread for the extreme fire conditions scenario. The red areas in Figure 20 indicate the top 33% of the areas of concern, where population density, flame length, and rate of spread could all be potentially very high. The orange areas indicate the middle 33% (high) and the green indicate the lower 33% (moderate). ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 55 5.3 Discussion of Findings The overall results of the hazard, value, risk assessment and the relative rankings by community and area of concern are summarized in Table 15 . Note that almost all of the areas of concern are ranked very high to high based on the asset, value, risk assessment modeling. The areas that rank moderate are located in more rural, less densely populated parts of the county, although they should be considered for hazard reduction efforts. The relative ranking information in Table 15 provides a starting point for prioritizing areas to focus fuel reduction efforts. Table 15. Marin County communities at risk and areas of concern relative rankings, based on the results of the asset, hazard, risk modeling. Communities at Risk and Areas of Concern Relative Ranking Bolinas (Bolinas Mesa, Little Mesa, Paradise Valley, NPS and MCOSD parklands) Very High/High Corte Madera and Larkspur (Tiburon Ridge, Ring Mountain, Palm Hill WUI) Very High Corte Madera (Marin Estates, Madrono-Pleasant [Town], Madera del Presidio Phase II, Chapman, Park/Meadowsweet, Christmas Tree Hill, Blithdale Ridge, Palm Hill/Blue Rock, Madera del Presidio Phase I) High Inverness (watershed and residential areas) High/Moderate Kentfield (Evergreen Fire Trail; Rancheria Road; Crown Road from 123 Crown Road to Phoenix Road and continuing on Indian Fire Road to the Blithedale Ridge/Eldridge Grade intersection; King Mountain Loop project (Larkspur) to 76 Ridgecrest Road; 12 Ridgecrest Road to 76 Ridgecrest Road, including all of BlueRidge Road southwest facing slope; the area of Goodhill Road and Crown Road, including the area of Harry Allen Trail; 351 Evergreen Road to 414 Crown Road to 12 Ridgecrest Road, south and southeast facing slope) High Larkspur (North Magnolia WUI; Greenbrae Hills WUI; Marina Vista Area WUI; Baltimore Canyon WUI; Marina Vista/SE Baltimore Canyon; King Mountain/NW Baltimore Canyon) High Mill Valley (MMWD land and open space areas) Very H igh Mill Valley (Scott Valley, Cascade, PG&E property, Summit, City property, open space, City right-of-way, private property, Warner Canyon/Scott Highlands, MMWD/private/City right-of-way) High Marin County Fire Department (Hill Ranch, Los Ranchitos, Summit, Bay View, San Pedro, Mount Tam Lookout, Sleepy Hollow WUI, Throckmorton /Panoramic WUI, Dickson Lookout, Woodacre/Lagunitas/Forest Knolls WUI, Mount Tam Middle Peak infrastructure, Rancho Santa Margarita WUI, Inverness WUI, Green Gulch, Stinson Beach WUI) High ● ● ● Modeling Results ● ● ● 56 Communities at Risk and Areas of Concern Relative Ranking Marin County Open Space District Lands (areas in and adjacent to neighborhoods) Very H igh/High Marin Municipal Water District (Rock Spring, Pine Mountain south gate, Sky Oaks Meadow, Deer Park Road, Sky Oaks Headquarters, Peters Dam) High/Moderate Marinwood/Lucas Valley (Limestone Hill area, CSA 13, Horse Hill area, Berry area, Miller Creek Road Area, Valleystone Project, Lucas Valley Estates) Very H igh/High Novato (Marin Valley, Novato North, Anderson Rowe) Very H igh Novato (San Marin, Hilltop, Loma Verde, Wilson West, Cherry Hill, Pacheco Valley, Little Mountain, Indian Valley, Wildhorse Valley, Wilson East, Ignacio Valley, Atherton, Blackpoint) High Ross Valley (Fairfax, Hawthorne Hills, San Francisco Boulevard, Alameda, Morningside, upper San Anselmo Avenue) Very H igh Ross Valley (Ross [east/central/south], San Anselmo [downtown], Cascade Canyon, Sleepy Hollow) High San Rafael (San Pedro Ridge, Dominican, Glenwood, Peacock Gap, Gerstle Park and Cal Park neighborhoods) Very H igh San Rafael (Smith Ranch areas, West End from San Rafael Hill to Ridgewood Avenue Bret Harte, Los Ranchitos areas, Terra Linda neighborhoods) High Sleepy Hollow (Loma Alta area) High Southern Marin (Meda project, Milland, Ricardo open space, So. Morning Sun/Tennessee, Hawkhill, Autumn Lane) Very H igh Southern Marin (Rodeo water tank, U.S. Route 101/Wolfback Ridge, Seminary, Edwards/Marion, Lattie Lane/Highway 1, Blackfield, Laguna/Forest, Cabin Drive, Homestead Valley, Fairview Ring Mountain Area, Aqua Hotel Hill, Highway 1 to Erica/Friars) High Tiburon (Middle Ridge, South Knoll Playground, Blackies Pasture, Greenwood Beach) Very H igh Tiburon (Ring Mountain, Old St. Hilary's Open Space Preserve, Tiburon Marsh, Belvedere Lane and right of ways, Tom Price Park, Sugarloaf Drive to Paradise Drive, Middle Ridge open space, Romberg Tiburon Center, Paradise State Park) High The data in Table 15 should be viewed at a finer scale within each community listed in order to get a proper context of the areas of concern at a more local scale. It is important to note that the modeling performed in this section does not take into account factors such as sensitive habitats, plant species, practical implementation of fuel reduction projects, or reduction project costs. Fire protection and land management agencies should work collaboratively to determine which areas to focus efforts on, and what projects and prescriptions best serve specific areas. ● ● ● Pre-Fire Management Strategies and Tactics ● ● ● 57 6. Pre-Fire Management Strategies and Tactics The pre-fire management strategies presented in this section focus on vegetation management, hazardous fuel reduction, pre-fire planning, statutes and regulations, fire prevention, and public education and outreach. This CWPP provides county-scale planning information but also recognizes and supports more focused fire planning efforts to address specific city, community, or neighborhood scale needs. The CWPP provides guidance for localized plans prepared to more specifically address site-specific issues, fuels treatment options, specific vegetation prescriptions, refined or redefined community and WUI boundaries, emergency preparedness, and other issues important to community wildfire safety. Localized plans have priority and authority over county-level recommendations. Marin County fire agencies (described in Section 1.1) take a holistic approach to pre-fire and fuels management by implementing a variety of practices and programs focused around the WUI where there is the greatest wildfire threat to human life and property. Marin County’s wildfire programs include: 1. Building and vegetation management codes that consider building materials, as well as construction, engineering, and vegetation management standards. 2. Hazardous fuel reduction at both the county and community level. At the county level, this includes working with private landowners and county agencies to maintain and create strategic fuel reductions zones; maintain fuel breaks and fire roads; and implementing other types of fuel reduction projects. At the community level, fire agencies work with property owners and homeowners associations to create more fire safe communities (i.e., Ready, Set, Go and Firewise community programs) and to address issues related to road and property access to provide safe evacuation routes and emergency vehicle entry during a wildfire event. 3. Public outreach and building awareness of the wildfire threat in Marin County. 4. A newly installed network of fire detection cameras. 6.1 Building Codes and Standards Coordinated pre-fire management efforts occur continuously throughout the county and across fire agencies. These activities include business and home inspection programs, land development plan reviews and construction inspections, fire alarm and suppression system plan reviews, fire investigations, inspections of hazardous and assembly occupancies, reviews of VMPs, a requirement for all new construction and substantial remodels in the WUI), and building code and standard ● ● ● Pre-Fire Management Strategies and Tactics ● ● ● 58 development. Section 8 includes more information about Marin’s building codes and standards for reducing structure ignitability. 6.2 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Marin County fire officials work to mitigate fires in the WUI using hazardous fuel modification, which includes wide area defensible space projects and ridge top fuel breaks, many of which are constructed by the MCFD’s Tamalpais Fire Crew as well as by other local resources. The location and extent of the breaks are determined through coordination with the local land management agency and or landowner, conformance with Marin County’s CWPP, and the availability of grant and other types of funding. At the community level, fire agencies work with individuals and homeowners associations to create more fire safe communities through programs such as Ready, Set, Go! and the Firewise community programs.19 The Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) Program is managed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). Launched nationally in March 2011 at the Wildland- Urban Interface Conference (WUI Conference), the program helps fire departments teach individuals who live in high risk wildfire areas—and the wildland- urban interface—how to best prepare themselves and their properties against fire threats.20 The Firewise Communities Program is managed by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the National Association of State Foresters. The program encourages local solutions for safety by involving homeowners in taking individual responsibility for preparing their homes from the risk of wildfire. Firewise is a key component of Fire Adapted Communities, a collaborative approach that connects all those who play a role in wildfire education, planning, and action with comprehensive resources to help reduce risk. The Firewise Communities program teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action to prevent losses.21 19 http://www.marinfirechiefs.org/ 20 http://www.wildlandfirersg.org/About/Learn-About-Ready-Set-Go 21 http://www.firewise.org/about.aspx ● ● ● Pre-Fire Management Strategies and Tactics ● ● ● 59 FSM is actively involved in working with local agencies to coordinate and support chipper days and other fuel reduction projects that involve cutting, clearing, pruning, and limbing understory vegetation around structures, fire roads, and evacuation routes. 6.3 Information and Education The information and education programs administered throughout Marin County are coordinated efforts supported by MCFD command staff, the Fire Prevention Bureau, local fire agency personnel, and cooperators. Cooperators include the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Marin County OES, FSM, the Marin County Fire Chiefs’ Association, NPS, MMWD, and MCOSD. 6.3.1 Information During wildfire events, the public information function is covered 24 hours a day by Incident Command System qualified Public Information Officers (PIO) and by MCFD’s ECC personnel. The overall goal of this function is to keep the people of Marin County informed by providing timely and accurate information. In addition, MCFD is in constant contact with CAL FIRE’s Duty Chief regarding fire condition updates and ensures all local dignitaries are regularly briefed with changes or updates. Fire agencies across Marin County regularly provide press releases and interviews to media outlets on request, and the county has retained a County PIO who is used to support fire agency public information outreach efforts. In addition, a Public Information Team (PIT), consisting of representatives from several fire agencies, meets once per month and provides a forum for each department to communicate with other departments and the public. The PIT provides a uniform message and training for county government across departments and helps prepare department-specific informational programs, including social media. 6.3.2 Education and Outreach Annually, thousands of Marin County residents attend community events, such as fire station pancake breakfasts, community fairs where local fire departments and/or FSM sponsor exhibits, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training classes, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) training classes, “Ready, Set, Go!”, and “Get- Ready”22 classes, and school programs. Fire departments across the county also give presentations to 22 Training for Before, During and After a Disaster, see http://readymarin.org/get-ready/ ● ● ● Pre-Fire Management Strategies and Tactics ● ● ● 60 the public that include disaster and wildfire event preparedness, home safety, fire safety, defensible space, and vegetation management. FIRESafe Marin and MCFD, along with many cooperators and corporate sponsors, produced a defensible space and wildland fire preparedness video. The video, “Marin on Fire,” has several 5- minute chapters that cover road and property access, defensible space, making your home ignition resistant, and tips on what to do if a wildfire is approaching your house. MCFD has also released a 5-minute video about the few simple things a homeowner can do to increase their home’s chances of survival during a wildfire event. MCFD and FSM web sites also have extensive public education links to CAL FIRE wildfire preparedness literature and to the Marin County Fire Chief’s Association “Ready-Set-Go” site. Department Fire Chiefs are also frequent contributors to the local newspaper with editorial columns on various aspects of fire safety and disaster preparedness, including winter/holiday home fire safety and wildfire preparedness. MCFD strives to make their wildfire and defensible space safety messages consistent with those promulgated by CAL FIRE. As part of this effort, MCFD posts CAL FIRE’s defensible space flyers and handouts on their website and makes these brochures available at fire station lobbies. Prior to fire- season, MCFD annually sends out a mailer to every property owner in Marin County’s SRA. The mailer contains a check-list of MCFD’s defensible space and maintenance requirements (as per the California Public Resources Code 4291)23 that need to be completed by the property owner by the start of fire season. The mailer also includes MCFD’s modified CAL FIRE Defensible Space flyer, and offers the homeowner a free-of-charge consultation by fire personnel from their local fire station. FSM also works with local fire agencies to support public education efforts (e.g., mailers, movie theater “trailers”, newspaper opinion pieces, public events and workshops) to raise the level of public awareness of the wildland fire threat and improve the defensible space around structures. 6.4 Fire Detection Cameras With a grant from PG&E, FSM purchased six fire detection cameras for installation in Marin County. These cameras were installed in summer 2015 and are deployed at Mt. Tamalpais, Mt. Barnabe, Big Rock , and Point Reyes.24 The cameras are linked to a computer system that is monitored by personnel at MCFD in Woodacre. The archive of images from the cameras is available to the public. 23 Property owners in mountainous areas, forest-covered lands or any land that is covered with flammable material must create at minimum a 100-foot defensible space (or to the property line) around their homes and other structures, as mandated by California Public Resources Code 4291. 24 http://www.marincounty.org/depts/fr/fire-detection-cameras ● ● ● Structural Ignitability ● ● ● 61 7. Structural Ignitability In the WUI where natural fuels and structure fuels are intermixed, fire behavior is complex and difficult to predict. Research based on modeling, observations, and case studies in the WUI indicates that structure ignitability during wildland fires depends largely on the characteristics and building materials of the home and its immediate surroundings. The dispersion of burning embers from wildfires is the most likely cause of home ignitions. When embers land near or on a structure, they can ignite near-by vegetation or accumulated debris on the roof or in the gutter. Embers can also enter the structure through openings such as an open window or vent, and could ignite the interior of the structure or debris in the attic. Wildfire can further ignite structures through direct flame contact and/or radiant heat. For this reason, it is important that structures and property in the WUI are less prone to ignition by ember dispersion, direct flame contact, and radiant heat. Marin County’s approach to mitigating structure ignitibility is based on findings from the National Institute of Standards and Technology that defensive actions by homeowners can significantly affect fire behavior and structure loss, and that effective fire prevention practices are essential in increasing structure survivability. The California Building Code (CBC)—Chapter 7A specifically—addresses the wildland fire threat to structures by requiring that structures located in state or locally designated WUI areas be built of fire resistant materials. However, the requirements promulgated by the state only apply to new construction, and do not address existing structures and additions and remodels to existing structures. Since most of the towns and cities in Marin County are “built-out”, most fire departments have applied the Chapter 7A standards to address home ignitibility for both new and existing construction. Specifically, Marin County has extensively amended the 2003 International Urban- Wildland Interface Code. As part of these amendments, MCFD applies more stringent building standards and requires the preparation of a VMP as defined in MCFD’s VMP Standard. MCFD also imposes requirements for fire apparatus and water supply access to new and remodeled structures located in the WUI. In addition to the amendments, the county requires that alterations or remodels to structures located in the WUI use specific building elements that comply with WUI-specific standards. For example, if a window is replaced, the new window is required to be dual-paned with one pane tempered. The county has amended the 2013 California Fire Code (CFC) Chapter 49 requirements for defensible space around existing homes (note that the 2013 CFC Chapter 49 requirements are identical to the Public Resource Code and Government Code requirements). The MCFD amendment modifies the language of PRC 4291 such that the property line no longer limits the amount of defensible space ● ● ● Structural Ignitability ● ● ● 62 required around structures. If the 100-foot defensible space/fuel modification zone extends from private to public lands, the defensible space stops at the property boundary. However, fuel modification/clearance may be permitted after an evaluation and issuance of approval from the public land management agency. 7.1 Opportunities to Reduce Structure Ignitability While Marin County has been aggressive in its approach to reduce structure ignitability, there are opportunities to expand awareness of measures that property owners can take to improve and enhance structure survivability. 7.1.1 Increase Education about Structural Ignitability and Defensible Space Fire officials can increase public education about structural ignitability and defensible space by Reaching out to venders/contractors who sell fire resistant materials to increase education and awareness. It is recommended that all fire officials renew their partnerships with their local building officials in order to provide information and outreach materials to the local Marin Builders Association. It is also recommended that fire officials collaborate with local building material vendors in order to better educate vendors and contractors of the CBC Chapter 7A requirements, and to provide educational materials for consumers at the point of sale. The educational materials should be consistent and uniform in look and content and explain the rationale for using fire resistive construction materials for structures in WUI areas. These materials could be created and funded by grants through FSM, and should include, but not be limited to: • Easy-to-understand WUI maps to help consumers determine if they are in WUI areas. • Examples and photos of the many types and architectural styles of construction features for roofs, exterior walls and siding, protective eaves, vents, decks, door, and windows. • Take-home pamphlets with photos, brief explanations, and links to websites and videos for additional information. • Links to the appropriate fire and building authority having jurisdiction, with permit information. Using the topic of roof coverings as an example, a sample outreach material could include ● ● ● Structural Ignitability ● ● ● 63 There are many varieties of Class A roofing materials available on the market today. The many styles allow for flexibility in achieving the desired look of the home while providing fire resistive properties that are so important in the WUI. Typical Class A roofing products include, but are not limited to, the following types: • Asphalt shingles • Metal/stone-coated metal • Concrete (standard weight and lightweight) • Clay tile • Synthetic • Slate • Hybrid composite Similar information with videos, photos, or samples should be included for all exterior architectural features identified in CBC Chapter 7A, and placed at all types of general home improvement stores, such as Home Depot and Rafael Lumber, and at single-focus stores such as window retailers.25 Renewing and continuing efforts to educate and partner with Marin County neighborhoods located in WUI areas with a focus on structural ignitability. This should be an annual, seasonal, multi-social media approach and include a direct mail campaign. Fire officials should develop a program to reach out to local communities encouraging and supporting the Firewise Communities Program. The five steps of Firewise recognition are: 1. Complete a community wildfire assessment. 2. Form a board or committee, and create an action plan based on the assessment to reduce the risks. 3. Conduct a “Firewise Day” event. 4. Invest a minimum of $2 per capita in local Firewise actions for the year. 5. Submit an application to become a Firewise Community to your state Firewise liaison. 7.1.2 Inventory Structures with Shake and Shingle Roofing Research shows that homes with a non-combustible roof and defensible space at least 30 to 60 feet around the structure have an 85-95% change of survival in a wildfire. At a minimum, a home structure should have a Class A-rated fire-resistant roof cover or assembly, and preferably one that is self-extinguishing once a falling ember burns out. Self-extinguishing means that the firebrand will not burn through to the roof deck and flames will not spread to other parts of the roof. Without a fire-resistant roof, other approaches toward mitigation will fall short of protecting the home.26 25 Marin Fire and Building Officials do not endorse any specific product or material, but rather look subjectively at each product for compliance and documented testing performance when considering its use in a local application. 26 Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, see https://disastersafety.org/wildfire ● ● ● Structural Ignitability ● ● ● 64 A complete inventory of all Shake and Shingled roofs (Non-CLASS A and B roofs) should be completed in each jurisdiction to target education efforts and identify the need for roof conversions. 7.1.3 Uniform Adoption of WUI Ordinance All fire agencies in Marin should adopt a consistent and uniform WUI ordinance and WUI map. Equal requirements and enforcement of WUI ordinances and defensible space will have the post positive effect on structural ignitability in Marin. 7.2 Structure Ignitability Efforts Currently in Place The following summarizes Marin County’s ongoing structure ignitability efforts and programs. Building Codes, Ordinances, Standards • Adoption of the International Code Council’s (ICC’s) International Codes and Standards. • Adoption of Class A roofing ordinances. • Designated parking program. • Application of Marin County WUI Fire Code for new and existing construction, which includes more stringent building standards, vegetation management (requiring the preparation of a VMP), and fire apparatus access and water supply requirements to new structures and structures substantially remodeled. • Requirement that alterations or remodels to structures located in the WUI use specific building elements that comply with WUI-specific standards. For example, if a window is replaced, the new window is required to be dual-paned with one pane tempered. Fuel and Vegetation Management • Fire departments develop lists of fire prone vegetation subject to removal or management. • Partnering with HOAs and FSM on residential chipper programs. • Increasing dedicated staffing for vegetation management programs. • Hazard assessment program (created to reverse homeowner fire insurance cancellations). • Annual weed abatement program. • Veg etation Management Program (voter approved Municipal Service Tax). • Establish and maintain fuel breaks (shaded, wide area, ridge top). • Eucalyptus and Pine tree removal program. • Paved and unpaved road fuel reduction. ● ● ● Structural Ignitability ● ● ● 65 • Evacuation route fuel reduction. • Fuel reduction on city properties. • Creating shaded fuel breaks in transition zones between developed residential areas and open space areas. Defensible Space Enforcement and Public Education • Annual public education course on defensible space. • Partnering with HOAs to become Firewise Communities. • Defensible space mobile phone App. • Defensible space videos. • Implementation of the 2013 CFC Chapter 49 requirements for defensible space around existing homes (these requirements are identical to the Public Resource Code and Government Code requirements). • Modification of the language of PRC 4291 such that the property line no longer limits the amount of defensible space required around structures. If the 100 foot defensible space/fuel modification zone intersects from private to public lands, fuel modification/clearance may be permitted after evaluation and issuance of a permit from the public land management agency. • Development of the defensible space mailers, which provides a checklist of defensible space requirements to be completed by the property owner by the start of the annual fire season. • Perform a defensible space blitz, in which departments assign seasonal firefighters in conjunction with on-duty/full-time personnel to go door-to-door in each station's response zone's target hazard areas. • Hire dedicated defensible space inspectors to perform inspections in priority communities. ● ● ● Recommendations and Action Plan ● ● ● 67 8. Recommendations and Action Plan 8.1 Plan Recommendations This CWPP is intended to provide a foundation for—and to facilitate—continued multi-agency collaboration and cooperation for fire protection planning efforts in Marin County. This is considered a living document which will be reviewed and revised periodically as needed. The following recommendations were developed based on the goals and objectives of Marin’s fire agencies for reducing wildland fire hazard and stakeholder input. The recommendations set forth are aimed at achieving five key goals: 1. Continue to identify and evaluate wildland fire hazards and recognize life, property, and natural resource assets at risk, including watershed, wildlife habitat, and other values of functioning ecosystems. 2. Articulate and promote the concept of land use planning related to fire risk and individual landowner objectives and responsibilities. 3. Support and continue to participate in the collaborative development and implementation of wildland fire protection plans and other local, county, and regional plans that address fire protection and landowner objectives. 4. Increase awareness, knowledge, and actions implemented by individuals and communities to reduce human loss and property damage from wildland fires, such as defensible space and fuels reduction activities, and fire prevention through fire safe building standards. 5. Integrate fire and fuels management practices with landowner priorities and multiple jurisdictional efforts within local, state, and federal responsibility areas. The following actions are recommended to move toward achieving these five goals. 8.1.1 Continue to identify and evaluate wildland fire hazards • Continue to collect, analyze, and maintain multi-agency hazard and resource GIS data. • Maintain an accessible online GIS portal to store and share the multi-agency maps and data developed throughout this CWPP process. • Utilize the GIS information and modeling results presented in Section 5 of this CWPP for pre-fire planning, and to collaboratively develop priorities for projects throughout the county. • Develop an inventory of structures with shake and shingle roofing material in each jurisdiction to identify and target education efforts and the need for roof conversions. ● ● ● Recommendations and Action Plan ● ● ● 68 • Consider ways to improve the coverage of the fire detection cameras. • Consider ways to use drone technology for fire protection. 8.1.2 Articulate and Promote the Concept of Land Use Planning Related to Fire Risk • Continue to promote the concept of land use planning as it relates to fire risk and hazard reduction and landowner responsibilities; identify the key minimum elements necessary to achieve a fire safe community and incorporate these elements into community outreach materials and programs. • Continue to implement the structural ignitability activities outlined in Section 7.2. • Develop outreach materials outlined in Section 7.1.1. • Coordinate with county and local government staff to integrate Firewise approaches into planning documents and ordinances. • Continue to secure funding opportunities for dedicated defensible space inspectors. • Identify approaches to increase the number of WUI properties inspected each year. • Continue to support community chipper programs to encourage compliance with defensible space and vegetation management requirements. • Increase and seek out opportunities to assist landowners with green waste disposal. • Continue the structure ignitability efforts currently in place (see Section 7.2). • Consider how to make the tree removal process less cumbersome and less expensive. 8.1.3 Support and continue to participate in the collaborative development and implementation of wildland fire protection plans • Work collaboratively with county, local, and regional agencies and landowners to develop fuel reduction priorities and strategies based on this CWPP, local CWPPs, and/or other regional plans. • Support the development and implementation of local-scale CWPPs. • Provide a collaboration mechanism between private property owners (and Home Owners Associations) and large land owners (i.e., MCOSD, MMWD, NPS) • Consider the creation of transition zones (areas between developed residential areas and open space areas) where additional defensible space or additional vegetation clearance is needed. ● ● ● Recommendations and Action Plan ● ● ● 69 8.1.4 Increase awareness, knowledge, and actions implemented by individuals and communities to reduce human loss and property damage from wildland fires • Continue to implement the defensible space and outreach activities outlined in Section 7.2. • Develop outreach materials outlined in Section 7.1.1. • Continue inter-agency coordination with Marin’s fire service community and other partners to maintain a community presence and to develop and distribute public information regarding fuel reduction efforts throughout the county. • Educate landowners, residents, and business owners about the risks and personal responsibilities of living in the wildland, including applicable regulations, prevention measures and preplanning activities. • Increase efforts to partner with neighborhoods located in WUI areas to educate them on becoming fire adapted or Firewise communities while increasing one firewise community per year. • All fire agencies continue to educate and prepare communities through an emphasis on the Ready, Set, Go! and the Firewise community programs, and create and support venues in which individual community members can be actively involved in local fire safe councils, community emergency response teams, and other community-based efforts in order to develop readiness plans and educate landowners to mitigate the risks and effects of wildland fire. • Continue to increase education and awareness about structural ignitability and defensible space; develop and distribute educational materials to vendors and contractors who sell or install fire resistant materials, and make these materials available at local home improvement stores. • Increase the number of annual defensible space inspectors and inspections and increase enforcement. • Develop and formalize a program for providing defensible space assistance (labor or financial) for senior citizens without the capacity and means to perform defensible space work . • Improve the ability to enforce defensible space compliance with absentee property owners. • Develop and distribute more information about fire resistant landscaping. • Create a fire blog. • Develop an App for evacuation route information. ● ● ● Recommendations and Action Plan ● ● ● 70 8.1.5 Integrate fire and fuels management practices • Continue to implement the vegetation management and fuel reduction activities outlined in Section 7.2. • Fire agencies continue working with land managers on strategic fuel treatment planning and implementation. • Continue to implement and maintain vegetation/fuel management projects along highly- traveled roadways and access points into all public lands in order to minimize ignitions. • Prioritize evacuation routes for fuel reduction programs • Develop traffic congestion controls along evacuation routes • Implement stronger parking enforcement along evacuation routes • Continue to maintain foot trail networks. • Implement maintenance program for foot trail networks. • Response agencies to plan and implement annual community-level drills for evacuation preparedness. • Develop a program to address fuel reduction on vacant properties. • Consider grazing as a fuel reduction strategy. • Partner with appropriate county and local public works agencies to consider vegetation/fuel reduction from roadways that are key evacuation routes into or out of a particular neighborhood • Create extended or enhanced vegetation/fuels management along all identified evacuation routes from developed residential and open space areas. • Create transition zones to extend shaded fuel breaks between developed residential areas and open space areas. • Identify and implement vegetation management projects in priority WUI communities throughout the county. • Work to reduce regulatory barriers that limit hazardous fuels reduction activities (e.g., tree removal process). • Use the published science on fire ecology to assess the costs, benefits, and best implementation tools for different fuels reduction and vegetation management strategies that are intended to reduce fire risk to lives and property. • Continue to develop strategic partnerships and funding opportunities with local industries to support fuel reduction projects. ● ● ● Recommendations and Action Plan ● ● ● 71 8.2 Action Plan Appendix D contains a list of action items based on the key goals and recommendations outlined in Section 8.1. Each year, FSM and the Marin County Fire Chief’s Association (MCFCA) will request that stakeholders select and prioritize the action items (from Section 8.1 and Appendix D) that they will work on. By November 1 of each year, stakeholders will provide a status report of the action items that were worked on and accomplishments. The action plan in Appendix D will be updated and presented at the MCFCA annual planning meeting and in the FSM annual report. 8.2.1 Environmental Review and Permitting This CWPP is an advisory document prepared by FSM in collaboration with stakeholder agencies pursuant to the HFRA. The CWPP development team was comprised of stakeholders (or their representatives) and the contents of this CWPP are opinions of these stakeholders. Because this CWPP is an advisory document, it does not legally commit any public agency to a specific course of action or project and thus, is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or to the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). As such, several counties in California have signed CWPPs without considering the CWPP as a project subject to CEQA. However, if funding is received from local, state, or federal agencies to implement a specific project, and prior to work performed, the lead agency must consider whether the proposed activity is a project under CEQA or NEPA. If the lead agency makes a determination that the proposed activity is a project subject to CEQA or NEPA, the lead agency must perform environmental review prior to obtaining permits or other entitlements by any public agencies to which CEQA or NEPA apply. 8.3 Plan Management The fire agencies, land management agencies, and private landowners responsible for managing vegetation in Marin County are encouraged to submit project ideas that focus on reducing fire hazards in priority areas. Appendix B provides an initial list of identified areas of concern and potential projects, but should be considered a starting point for continued collaboration and coordination. To ensure continued collaboration and the long -term success of this CWPP effort, FSM—in collaboration with the MCFCA—will lead the effort to continue to evaluate, update, and maintain this CWPP as needed. The contents of the CWPP will be reviewed and evaluated every three years and the action plan will be reviewed and updated annually. This plan will be updated with input from the community and local fire and land management agencies as necessary. Updates to the plan will be documented as plan amendments as shown in Table 1. ● ● ● References ● ● ● 73 9. References Bentley D. and Landeros D. (2015) Comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014. Prepared by the North Marin Water District, Novato, CA, October. Available at http://www.nmwd.com/financials/NMWDFinancials2015.pdf. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (2007) California’s fire hazard severity zones. Fact sheet by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Office of the State Fire Marshal, Sacramento, CA, May. Available at http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/downloads/FHSZ_fact_sheet.pdf. Lee C. (2009) Sudden oak death and fire in California. Update prepared by the University of California Cooperative Extension, Humboldt County and Del Norte County Offices. Available at http://cehumboldt.ucdavis.edu/files/67356.pdf. Leonard Charles and Associates (2012) Draft Marin Municipal Water District wildfire protection and habitat improvement plan. Draft report prepared for the Marin Municipal Water District, Corte Madera, CA, by Leonard Charles and Associates, San Anselmo, CA, August. Available at https://www.marinwater.org/DocumentCenter/View/955. Mara J. (2015) Marin median home price passes $1 million. Marin Independent Journal, May 21. Available at http://www.marinij.com/article/NO/20150521/NEWS/150529968. Marin County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures (2014) 2014 Marin County livestock & crop report. Prepared by the Marin County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, Novato, CA. Available at http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/ag/crop- reports/2014.pdf?la=en. Marin County Fire Department (2015) 2015 unit strategic fire plan for Marin County Fire Department. Available at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/fireplan/fpupload/fpppdf1532.pdf. May & Associates Inc. (2015) Vegetation and biodiversity management plan. Draft prepared for Marin County Parks and Open Space District, San Rafael, CA, April. Available at http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/files/departments/pk/projects/open- space/vmbp/2015_05mcpvmbpv9lowresweb.pdf?la=en. Prado M. (2016) Marin national parks serve as economic driver, report finds. Marin Independent Journal, April 22. Available at http://www.marinij.com/environment-and-nature/20160422/marin-national- parks-serve-as-economic-driver-report-finds. ● ● ● Appendix A: Updated Fuel Map Generation ● ● ● 75 Appendix A: Updated Fuel Map Generation This appendix provides the methods used to develop the data set for the fuel model types described in Section 2.2. A.1 Processing Overview Fire behavior modeling requires a spatially-explicit fire behavior fuel model map as input, among other datasets. As part of the development of this CWPP, 5-meter and 30-meter resolution fire behavior fuel model maps covering Marin County were developed. The maps were derived from available LiDAR and aerial imagery as well as datasets reflecting vegetation types and the presence of structures, roads, and waterbodies. These maps provide a critical tool for fire hazard mitigation planning for Marin County and were used to conduct analyses of fire risk and fire hazard reduction projects described elsewhere in this document. A.2 Input Datasets LiDAR data in LAS point cloud format was obtained via the USGS EarthExplorer website.27 The data provides complete coverage of Marin County at 2 meter nominal pulse spacing or better, and was collected in 2010 by the ARRA Golden Gate LiDAR Project.28 The data is in tile format, with 776 tiles making up the dataset. National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) JPEG2000 orthorectified imagery collected over Marin County from June 8 through June 13, 2014 was also downloaded from the USGS Earth Explorer website. Three available vegetation data sets were used to provide information about vegetation types for portions of Marin County. The datasets used included (1) the 2008 Marin County Open Space District (MCOSD) vegetation dataset obtained from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Global Information System (GIS) Clearinghouse; (2) the 2009 Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) vegetation dataset obtained from the CDFW GIS Clearinghouse, and; (3) the Existing Vegetation Classification and Assessment with LANDSAT of Visible Ecological Groupings (CALVEG) dataset, which was mostly based on 2007 imagery published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Remote Sensing Lab. 27 http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/ 28 http://online.sfsu.edu/ehines/arra_golden_gate_lidar_project.htm ● ● ● Appendix A: Updated Fuel Map Generation ● ● ● 76 In order to refine vegetation information for Marin County, vector data that reflected building footprints, waterbodies, and road networks were obtained from MarinMap29 and were used to refine vegetation information for Marin County. The building footprint dataset was produced using 2004 orthoimagery steriopairs. The waterbody and road datasets were derived from U.S. Census TIGER files, and the road dataset was refined using 2004 orthoimagery. A.3 Image Processing LiDAR and NAIP imagery for Marin County were combined to provide information about vegetation cover and topography across the county. All rasters produced for use in this project were aligned to the datasets derived from raw LiDAR point clouds, projected to UTM zone 10N using the NAD83 datum with a cell size of 5 meters. LiDAR tiles were combined and processed using standard ArcGIS geoprocessing tools to derive bare earth elevation, slope, aspect, vegetation height, and vegetation percent cover. Vegetation height and vegetation cover on the 5 m grid were calculated using the internal point classification, which groups vegetation and building returns together. To differentiate between buildings and vegetation, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values derived from NAIP imagery were used to mask locations, with NDVI < 0 representing non-vegetation. To exclude shrubs and other low-lying vegetation from the percent canopy cover calculation, all pixels in the percent canopy cover that had a canopy height of less than 3 meters were assigned a percent canopy cover value of 0%. The vegetation and topographic information derived from these datasets were used as inputs to produce fuel model information for Marin County. A.4 Fuel Model Crosswalk To obtain the fuel information required for fire behavior modeling, the LiDAR - and NAIP-derived datasets were integrated with the vector information reflecting vegetation type, building footprints, waterbodies, and roads. The result of this analysis was a 5-meter resolution dataset providing 40 Scott and Burgan fire behavior fuel model assignments for all of Marin County (Scott and Burgan, 2005). The three sources of vegetation type information were then combined. The CALVEG dataset provided county-wide vegetation type information, while the MMWD and MCOSD vegetation datasets provided only partial coverage. However, visual inspection revealed the MMWD and MCOSD datasets were more accurate than the CALVEG dataset at identifying the correct vegetation types, so the vegetation types identified by the CALVEG dataset were replaced with the MMWD and MCOSD classifications where valid data were available. 29 http://www.marinmap.org ● ● ● Appendix A: Updated Fuel Map Generation ● ● ● 77 To assign fuel models, aspect, vegetation height, percent vegetation cover, and vegetation type datasets were used in a crosswalk. A crosswalk assigns a fuel model to each pixel based upon the information from the datasets. A modified version of a CAL FIRE furnished crosswalk was used and was modified to address vegetation types assigned to locations within Marin County that were not addressed by the original crosswalk, based on knowledge of local vegetation and from feedback from vegetation and fuels managers at Marin County Fire Department. None of the vegetation datasets provided vegetation type information for Angel Island. A simple fuel model crosswalk was created for Angel Island based upon the canopy height and canopy cover values, and by visually examining aerial imagery. The Angel Island fuel model information was appended to the fuel model dataset covering the rest of the county. A.5 Fuel Model Adjustments The fuel model map described above was modified to better account for the location of roads, structures, and waterbodies. All locations falling within a waterbody were modified to an unburnable fuel model. In addition, a series of filtering steps were applied to reflect the presence of flammable vegetation in urban/developed areas. To account for the flammable vegetation that was initially classified as unburnable, canopy cover and canopy height were used to reassign all urban/developed fuel model areas with an NDVI greater than 0 to a flammable vegetation class. Next, the road location information was used to assign pixels to the unburnable urban/developed fuel model or to a timber litter fuel type model based upon the presence of canopy cover. Large roads (freeways and highways) were buffered to 10 meters, while small roads (local roads) were buffered to 5 meters; the percent canopy cover of each pixel falling within the buffered roads was obtained. Roads with greater than 30% canopy cover were classified as burnable because fuel overhanging the road may allow fire to spread over that road. Roads with less than 30% cover were classified as unburnable. A similar approach was used to address vegetation overhanging buildings. The building footprints and percent canopy cover data were used to assign a fuel model to all building locations. Buildings with 20-40% canopy cover were classified as a timber litter fuel type model, and buildings with greater than 40% canopy cover were assigned a timber-understory fuel type model. Buildings with less than 20% canopy cover were classified as unburnable. A.6 Landscape File Creation A landscape file (.lcp) is required by commonly used fire behavior models such as FlamMap to simulate fire behavior. A landscape file consists of eight layers of vegetation and geophysical information. The geophysical layers include elevation, slope, and aspect, while the vegetation layers ● ● ● Appendix A: Updated Fuel Map Generation ● ● ● 78 include fuel model, vegetation height, percent vegetation cover, canopy bulk density, and canopy base height. The development of all layers has been described above, with the exception of the canopy bulk density and canopy base height layers. The canopy base height layer was assigned a universal value of 3’ for all pixels assigned either a timber-understory or a timber litter fuel type model, based on our knowledge of local vegetation. In lieu of actual field measurements of canopy fuels in Marin County, canopy bulk density was estimated for pixels with a timber-understory or a timber litter fuel type model using plot data collected for ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir and Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer forest types in the Interior West (Scott and Reinhardt, 2005). For each fuel model and canopy cover bin, a canopy bulk density value was assigned. ArcFuels30 was used to compile the 5 m rasters of the eight data layers into a landscape file. In addition, bilinear interpolation and majority method resampling methods were used to convert the 5 m raster datasets to 30 m resolution, and a 30 m landscape file was created for fire modeling using the Interagency Fuels Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS). A.7 References Scott J.H. and Burgan R.E. (2005) Standard fire behavior fuel models: a comprehensive set for use with Rothermel’s surface fire spread model. General Technical Report by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO, RMRS-GTR-153, June. Available at http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr153.pdf. Scott J.H. and Reinhardt E.D. (2005) Stereo photo guide for estimating canopy fuel characteristics in conifer stands. General technical report by the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO, RMRS-GTR-145, March. Available at http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr145.pdf. 30 http://www.arcfuels.org/ ● ● ● Appendix B: Areas of Concern and Marin County Fire Plan Projects ● ● ● 79 Appendix B: Areas of Concern and Marin County Fire Plan Projects This appendix provides a complete list of the areas of concern information and hazard mitigation efforts provided by the stakeholder agencies listed in alphabetical order by agency name (not in order of priority), and also includes a list of past, current, and/or planned projects from the 2015 Marin Unit Fire Plan. These lists are intended to provide a starting point for identifying and prioritizing a more complete, countywide list of future fuel reduction and outreach projects. Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyBolinas FPDBolinas Mesa, Little Mesa, Paradise Valley Defensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on paths and trails; shaded fuel breaks between open space, parklands, and WUI; hazardouse fuel reduction, water system expansion & improvement Corte Madera Endeavor (Town) Hazardous fuel reduction (HFR) (town owned)Corte Madera Madrono‐Pleasant (Town) Hazardous fuel reduction (HFR) (town owned)Corte Madera Tiburon Ridge Hazardous fuel reduction (HFR) (Open Space)Corte MaderaRing Mountain Hazardous fuel reduction (HFR) (Open Space)Corte MaderaMadera del Presidio Phase IIPotential Firewise community, public education, veg mgt plan (VMP)Corte MaderaChapman Park/Meadowsweet Potential Firewise community(ies), public educationCorte MaderaMarin Estates Potential Firewise community, public educationCorte MaderaBlithdale Ridge Hazardous fuel reduction (HFR) (Open Space)Corte MaderaChristmas Tree Hill Potential Firewise community, public educationCorte MaderaMadera del Presidio Phase I Potential Firewise community, public educationCorte MaderaPalm Hill/Blue Rock Potential Firewise community, public educationInvernessWatershed Maintain and improve fuel breaksInvernessWatershed Maintain and improve fire roads in watershedInvernessResidential areasImprove access and egress on private maintained roads and reduce hazard fuels on public & private properties; public education and outreach; upgrade water mains to improve fire flowInvernessResidential areasImprove access and egress on private maintained roads and reduce hazard fuels on public & private properties; public education and outreachKentfieldFrom King Mountain Loop project (Larkspur) to 76 Ridgecrest Rd.Open Space Land. (WUI) with highly valued assets at risk.Continuing and strengthing projects from neighboring agencys. Needs ImplementationExhibit A. List of Fire Roads, Fuel Breaks, Planned Projects, and Other Treatments 80 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyKentfieldFrom 123 Crown Rd, including the area of Harry Allen Trail to area of Goodhill Rd and Crown Rd.MMWD Land. (WUI) with highly valued assets at risk. New project. Needs ImplementationKentfieldFrom 123 Crown Rd, to Phoenix Rd and continuing on the Indian Fire Rd stopping at Blithedale Ridge/Eldridge Grade intersection.MMWD Land. (WUI) with highly valued assets at risk. Past fuel‐break completed. Needs to be maintained and strengthened.KentfieldFrom 351 Evergreen Rd to 414 Crown Rd to 12 Ridgecrest Rd. South and Southeast facing slope.Open Space Land. (WUI) with highly valued assets at risk. Proposed project. Needs ImplementationKentfieldFrom 12 Ridgecrest Rd to 76 Ridgecrest Rd. Including all of BlueRidge Rd. Southwest facing slope.Open Space Land. (WUI) with highly valued assets at risk. Past fuel‐break completed. Needs to be maintained and strengthened.KentfieldEvergreen Fire Trail, Rancheria Rd Connection, Crown Rd ConnectionAccess and Egress roads. Maintenance and clearing of a project that has been completed in the past.LarkspurMarina Vista/SE Baltimore Canyon Hazardous fuel reduction treatmentLarkspurKing Mountain/NW Baltimore Canyon Hazardous fuel reduction treatmentLarkspurNorth Magnolia WUI Potential Firewise communityLarkspurBaltimore Canyon WUI (aka Madrone Canyon) Potential Firewise communityLarkspurMarina Vista Area WUI Potential Firewise communityLarkspurGreenbrae Hills WUI (incorporated LRK) Potential Firewise communityLarkspurPalm Hill WUI Potential Firewise communityMCFDHill Ranch Strategically placed fuel treatmentMCFDDickson Lookout Defensible Space of infrastructureMCFDMt Tam Lookout Defensible Space of infrastructureMCFDMt Tam Middle Peak Infrastructure Defensible Space of infrastructureMCFDSleepy Hollow WUIDefensiable Space, & strategically placed fuel treatment, Firewise Community 81 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyMCFDRancho Santa Margarita WUI Evacuation routes & roads, defensible space, Firewise CommunityMCFDInverness WUI Evacuation routes & roads, defensible spaceMCFDGreen Gulch Defensible SpaceMCFDThrockmorton /Panoramic WUI Evacuation routes & roads, defensible spaceMCFDWoodacre/Lagunitas/Forest Knolls WUI Evacuation routes & roads, defensible spaceMCFDCSA 19 Bay View Defensible SpaceMCFDStinson Beach WUI Evacuation routes & roads, defensible spaceMCFDCSA 19 San Pedro Defensible SpaceMCFDCSA 19 Summit Defensible SpaceMCFDCSA 19 Los Ranchitos Defensible SpaceMCOSDAll areas Maintenance and management of invasive species spreadMCOSDAll boundaries with homes Defensible spaceMCOSDFuels ManagementMCOSDFuels ManagementMCOSDFuels ManagementMill ValleyCity Right of Way 25' buffer along the roadwayMill ValleyCascadeMill ValleyMMWD Property Tall grass and brush fuel reductionMill ValleyOpen Space Property Tall grass, broom, brush fuel reductionMill ValleyOpen Space Property Tall grass, broom, brush fuel reductionMill ValleyMMWD Grass, brush and Acacia fuel reductionMill ValleyOpen Space Property 100' fuel reduction ‐ grass and brushMill ValleyMMWD/Private/City ROW Tall grass, broom, brush fuel reduction on primary access fire roadMill ValleyCity PropertyTall grass, broom, brush fuel reduction on paper roads to continue ring around Mill ValleyMill ValleySummitMill ValleyCity PropertyTall grass, broom, brush fuel reduction on paper roads to continue ring around Mill ValleyMill ValleyOpen Space Property 100' fuel reduction ‐ grass and brush 82 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyMill ValleyPrivate Property Tall grass, thick brush, pine tree fuel reduction below homesMill ValleyPrivate Property Tall grass, thick brush, pine tree fuel reductionMill ValleyOpen Space Property 100' fuel reduction ‐ grass and brushMill ValleyOpen Space Property Tall grass, broom, brush fuel reduction on primary access fire roadMill ValleyCity PropertyGrass, brush and tree fuel reduction along a designated evacuation pathMill ValleyScott Valley Tall grass, broom, brush, tree and fuel reduction Mill ValleyPGE Property Tall grass, broom, brush and pine tree fuel reductionMill ValleyS/B 101 on ramp from EB to No Name exit Tall grass, thick brush, pine tree fuel reductionMill ValleyWarner Canyon/Scott HighlandsMill ValleyCity Right of Way Tall grass, broom, brush fuel reduction along roadwayMill ValleyCity Property Tall grass, broom, brush fuel reductionMill ValleyOpen Space Tall grass, broom, brush fuel reductionMill ValleyOpen Space Property 50'‐100' fuel reduction ‐ grass and brushMMWDSKY OAKS MEADOW VMP BurnMMWDROCK SPRING VMP BurnMMWDPINE MOUNTAIN SOUTH GATE VMP BurnMMWDDEER PARK RD Road MaintMMWDSKY OAKS HEADQUARTERS D SpaceMMWDPETERS DAM AND DEFENSIBLE SPACE D spaceMW LVCSA 13Behind homes fronting open space; Mow grasses, limb trees up 10', remove dead vegetation 100' inMW LVLucas Valley EstatesBehind homes fronting open space; Mow grasses, limb trees up 10', remove dead vegetation 100' inMW LVHorse Hill AreaBehind homes fronting open space; Mow grasses, limb trees up 10', remove dead vegetation 100' inMW LVBerry AreaBehind homes fronting open space; Mow grasses, limb trees up 10', remove dead vegetation 100' in 83 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyMW LVMiller Creek Rd AreaBehind homes fronting open space; Mow grasses, limb trees up 10', remove dead vegetation 100' inMW LVLimestone Hill AreaBehind homes fronting open space; Mow grasses, limb trees up 10', remove dead vegetation 100' inMW LVQueenstone Fire Road Fire Road; fire road clearanceMW LVValleystone ProjectBehind homes fronting open space; Mow grasses, limb trees up 10', remove dead vegetation 100' inNovato Wildhorse Valley Streets & Roads: Vineyard Rd., Wildhorse Valley Rd., West Brooke Ln., Palomino Rd., Pinto Rd., Rebelo Ln., Wali Trail, Woodside Ct., Meadow Ln. Fire Roads Access: Indian Tree Rd., & Wildhorse Valley Fire Rd., Deer Camp & H Ranch Rd.Projects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation 2. Remove fire prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Community Chipper Days4. Shaded fuel break ‐ 100ft surrounding Wildhorse Valley neighborhood.5. Maintain Fire Road Access‐ Brush out fire road 10' on both sides and provide 14' vertical clearance between Wild Horse Valley and NovatoAtherton Streets & Roads: Atherton Ave., Oak Shade Ln., Saddlewood Dr., Morningstar Ct., Trailview Ct., Dry Creek Ln., Bugeia Ln., H Ln., Bahia Dr., Topaz Dr., Laguna Vista, Cerro Crest, Ashlet Ct., Lindsey Ct., Albatross Dr., Santanna Dr., River Vista Dr. Baruna Ct., Tiki Rd., Andale Ave., Malobar Dr., Crest, School Rd., Sutton Ln., Lockton Ln., Sunset Trail, Hampton, Woodview Ln., Greenpoint Ln., Glen rd. Channel Ln., Bridge Ln. & Harbor Dr. Fire Road Access:Pinheiro Ridge, Rush CreekProjects:1. Firewise Community Designation2. Remove fire‐prone plants in defensible space zones3. Chipper day programs4. Shaded fuel breaks‐100‐200’ between Laguna Vista, Bahia Lane, School Road, Crest Road, Green Point Lane and Bridge Lane.5. Evacuation Routes‐ Brush out emergency evacuation routes and provide signage between Albatross/Laguna Vista and Crest Road and Crest Rd to Williams and Alpine Rd.6. Develop and implement Bahia VMP. 84 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoMarin Valley Streets & Roads: Marin Valley Dr., Marin View, Scenic, Wild Oak Dr., Meadow View, View Ridge Dr., Sunrise Ln., Club View, Fallen Leaf Way., Panama Dr.,Fire Road Access: Muroc Lake Emergency Access RoadProjects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation2. Remove all fire prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Chipper Day Program.4. Evacuation routes‐ brush out 20ft on both sides and remove pine trees along the roadway.5. Fuel breaks ‐ 100‐200ft surrounding the mobile home park 6. Implement VMP.NovatoLittle Mountain Streets & Roads:Stirup Ln., Verissimo Rd., Saddle Ln., Ravine Way, Oak Valley Rd., Sanchez Way., Center Blvd., Daryl Dr., Taurus Dr., Trish Dr., Kathleen Dr., Libra & Aries Dr., Ruben Ct., Mae Ct., Stasia Dr., Stasia Ct., San Joaquin Pl., Michele Circle, Lorraine Ct. Fire Road Access: Stafford Lake & Doe Hill Projects:1. Fire Wise Designation2. Remove fire prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Chipper Day program.4. Shaded fuel breaks ‐ San Joaquin Place between PV School and Little Mountain OSD; Pleasant Valley HOA.; Kathleen Drive and Michelle Circle 5. VMP's for multi‐family dwellings 6. Maintain Fire Road Access ‐ Brush out fire road 10' on both sides and provide 14' vertical clearance. 85 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoSan Marin Streets & Roads:San Ramon, San Andreas, Hawthorne Ter., La Merida Ct., La Placita Ct., San Domingo Wy., San Blas Ct., Andreas Ct., San Mateo Wy., Coronado Ct., Palmo Wy., Palmo Ct., Verdad Wy., San San Carlos Wy., Jacinto Wy, Sereno Wy., Sotelo Wy., Viejo Wy, Partridge Dr., Partridge Ct., Woodleaf Ct., Adobe Ct., Simmons Ln., Butterfield Dr., Fieldstone Dr., Sundance Wy, West Campus Dr., Woodhollow Dr., Meadowcrest Rd. Fire Road Access: San Andreas, San Marin Salt Lick, San Carlos, Creekside, Quarry BasaltProjects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation 2. Remove fire prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Community Chipper Days4. Shaded fuel break ‐ 100‐200ft along surrounding homes adjacent to wildlands.5. Maintain Fire Road Access ‐ brush out fire roads 10' on both sidea and 14' vertical clearance.NovatoBlackpoint Streets & Roads: Harbor Rd., Havenwood Ave., Granview Ave., Beattie Ln, Phillip Terrace Ave., Manzanita Ln., Mistletoe, Murphy Leibert Ln., Iolanthus ave., Holly Ave., Oak Ave., Laurel Ave., Hemlock Ave., Norton Ave., San Rafael St., Cedar Ave.Bayview Rd., Day Island Rd. Stonetree Dr., Owl ridge Ct.Projects:1. Firewise Community Designation2. Remove fire‐prone plants in defensible space zones3. Community Chipper day program4. Evacuation Routes ‐ Provide additional egress routes between Black Point and Stone Tree; Mazanita Avenue and Phillip Terrace Ave. 5. Evaluate "area of refuge" at the end of Lolanthus and Norton Ave. 86 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoCherry Hill Streets & Roads: Armstrong Ave., Cherry st., Cherry Ct., Cherry Hill, Chase St., Plum St., Peach St., Olive Ave., Zandra Pl., Sherwood Pl., Summers Ave., Rudnick Ave., Rebecca Wy., Rita Ct., Olive Ct., Robinhood Dr., Knight Dr., Bishop Ct., Castle Ct., Knolltop Ct., Cross Creek Wy., Upland Ln., Westridge Ln., Samrose Dr., Ming Ct., Wendy Ct., Jacob Ct., Vincent Ln., Galloway ln., James ct., Rose Ct., Windwalker Wy., Bay Tree Hollow, Equestrian Ct., Churchill Ln., Kristin Marie Ct.Projects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation 2. Remove fire prone plants in defensible space zones3. Community Chipper Days4. Shaded fuel breaks ‐ 100ft between neighborhoods and wildlands.5. Maintain Fire Road Access‐ brush out 10ft on both sides and provide 14' vertical clearance. 87 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoIndian Valley Streets & Roads:Indian Valley Rd., Pacheco Rd., Chamberlain Ave., Indian Trail, Old Ranch Rd., Wildwood Ln., Bloom Ln., Gage Ln, Slowdown Ct., Indian Springs, McClay Rd.,., Silva Ct., Syl Dor Ln., Knuttle Ct., Canyon Rd., Ridge Rd., Forrest Rd., Half Moon Rd., Black Oak Ln., Wilson Ave., Mill Rd., Santa Maria Dr., Blanca Dr., Roca Ct., Plata Ct. Tanglewood Ln. Syosett Ln.Fire Road Access:H Ranch and Indian Valley Fire Rd., Ebright Fire Rd., H Ranch, Burnt Ridge. Projects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation 2. Remove fire –prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Community Chipper Days4. Shaded fuel breaks ‐ 100’ surrounding Half Moon Rd., Canyon Rd., Forest Rd., and Tenaya Lane.5. Evacuation Routes ‐ Evaluate second route from Half Moon Road to Indian Valley Rd.6. Maintain Fire Road Access –brush out 20’ on both sides of the road & 14’ vertical clearance.7. Old Ranch Rd., brush out road 20’ on both sides and 14’ vertical clearance. 88 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoIgnacio Valley Streets & Roads:Carnoustie HTS., Baywood Circle, Bonnie Brae Dr., Obertz Ln., Burning Tree, Caddy Court., Wentworth Ln., Nassue Ct., Thornhill Ct., Thunderbird Dr., Thunderbird Ct., Pensacola Ct., piping Rock Rd., St. Andrews Dr., Capalano Dr., Prestwick Ct., Fairway Dr., Spyglass Dr., Birdie Dr., Country Club Dr., Eagle Dr., Olympia Wy., Marin Oaks Dr., Greg Pl., Germaine Pl., Montura Wy., Ignacio Blvd., Fire Roads: Montura, Eagle, Burnt Ridge & Indian Valley College.Projects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation.2. Remove fire prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Chipper Programs.4. Shaded Fuel breaks ‐ 100ft between residences and wildlands surrounding Carnoustie Heights, Eagle Dr., Country Club Dr., & Olympia Dr. & Burning Tree Dr.5. Maintain Fire Road Access by brushing out 10’ on both sides and 14’ vertical clearance. 89 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoPacheco Valley Streets & Roads: Alameda Del Prado, Red Hawk Rd, Pelican Ln, Kingfisher, Elegant Tern, Elf Owl, Sage Grouse, Curlew WY, Pacheco Creek Way, Buckeye Ct., Raccoon Dr., Badger Ct., Acorn Ct., Oak Forest Rd., Eagle Gap Rd., Eagle Gap Ct., Hawk Ridge, Paper Mill Creek Ct., Chaparral Ct., Burdell Ct., Josefa Ct., Charmaine Ct., Duarte Ct., Clay & Grass Ct.Fire Roads: Heatherstone, Ponte, Little Cat, Chicken Stack & Posada Del Sol FireProjects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation2. Remove Fire prone Vegetation in defensible Space Zones3. Chipper Day Program.4. VMP’s for each HOA5. Evacuation Route‐maintain egress by brushing out 10’ on both sides of roadway.6. Maintain Fire Road Access ‐ brush out 10’ on both sides and vertical clearance 14’.7. Evaluate alternative evacuation routes. 90 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoAnderson Rowe Streets & Roads:Silverberry Circle, Merrit Dr., Shannon Ct., Valleyview Terr., Ash Ct.,Laurelwood Dr., Highland Dr., Aaron Dr., Claire Ct., Judith Ct., Karia Ct., Becky Ct., Crystal Ct., Deborah Ct., Woodfern Ct., Palmer Dr., Rowe Ranch Dr., Ranch Ct., Rowe Ranch Wy., White Oak Wy., Oak Wy., Oak Grove Dr., Elmview Wy., Owens Dr., Entrada Dr., Azelea Pl.,Susan Wy, Margaret Ct., Arlene Way, Stone Dr., Arlington Circ., Oak View Ct., Woodland Ct., Fire Roads: Palmer & Anderson Rowe Water Access Rds.Projects:1. Fire Wise Designation2. Remove fire –prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Community Chipper Days4. Shaded fuel breaks ‐ 100’‐200’ surrounding Highland Dr., Arlington Ct., Woodland Ct., Oak View, Becky, Crystal, Aaron and Pacific Drive, Margaret Ct., Susan Way and Arlene Way.5. Maintain Fire Road Access‐ brush out 10’ on both sides and 14’ vertical clearance.6. VMP’s for HOA’s and multi‐family dwellings.7. Pine Tree Removal Susan Way and Margaret Court.NovatoLoma Verde Streets & Roads:Cielo Ln., Posada Del Sol, Madrid Ln, Calle Arboleda, Calle De La Selva, Via Escondida, Corte Colina, Corte Del Cerol, Corte Sur, Corte Nortel, Calle Paseo, Corte Escuela, Alameda del Loma, Calle Empinado, Pebble Beach, Winged Foot.Fire Roads: Escondida Rd.Projects: 1. Fire Wise Designation2. Remove fire‐prone plants in defensible space zones3. Chipper Day Program.4. Fuel break ‐ 100’‐200’ surrounding Winged Foot Dr., and Pebble Beach Dr.5. VMP’s – multi‐family dwellings (Posada Del Sol & Ceilo Lane)6. Maintain Fire Road Access – brush out fire roads 10’ on both sides and 14’ vertical clearance. 91 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoPresidents/IVC Streets & Roads:Creekwood Ct., Kathy Ct. Sunset PKWY., Turber Dr.,Arrowhead Ln., Indian Hills Ct., Flint Ct., Garner Dr., Truman Dr., Rowland Dr., Shevlin Dr., Balara Dr., Kaden Dr., Drakewood Dr., Pierce Dr., Brown Dr.Projects: 1. Fire Wise Designation2. Remove fire –prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Community Chipper Days4. Shaded fuel breaks ‐ 100’ surrounding homes. 5. Indian Valley College‐VMP for maintenance and fire road maintenance.NovatoWilson West Streets & Roads:Wilson Ave., Maestro Rd.,Pillsbury Ln, Hatch Rd Carbo Ridge., Vida Ct., Eldorado Ct., La Costa Ct., Oro Ct., Mockingbird Ct., Goldfinch Ct., Meadowwark Ct., Nina Dr.,Bear Creek and Brooke Dr.Fire Roads: Cabro Ridge, Wildhorse Valley connection/Ryan Trail..Projects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation 2. Remove fire –prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Community Chipper Days4. Evacuation routes‐ of 20’ on both sides and 14’ vertical clearance for Wilson Extension and Maestro Rd.5. Cabro Ridge Road ‐ brush out roadsides 20’ and 14’ vertical clearance. 6. Maintain Fire Road Access ‐ Cabro Ridge and Wilson/H Ranch Rd.NovatoNovato North Streets & Roads: Regalia Dr., Olivia dr., Oliva Ct., Amanda Ln., Raposa Vista, Dorothy WY., Valle View WY., Benton Dr., Tara Ln., Marion Ave., Rockrose WY., Santolina, Seventh St., Somerset Dr., Escallon Dr.Projects:1. Fire Wise Community Designation 2. Remove fire prone plants in defensible space zones3. Community Chipper Days4. Shaded fuel breaks ‐ 100’‐200’ surrounding neighborhoods adjacent to wildlands.5. VMP’s for multi‐family dwellings. 92 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyNovatoHilltop Streets & Roads: Hayden Ave., Lamont Ave., Reichert Ave., Prospect Place.Projects:1. Fire Wise Designation2. Remove fire prone plants in defensible space zones.3. Chipper Day Program4. Shaded fuel breaks ‐ 100’ surrounding homes and multi‐family dwellings.5. VMP’s for multi‐family dwellings.6. Hilltop Restaurant 200’ fuel‐break.7. Update and implement Hilltop Restaurant VMP .Ross ValleyRoss (east)Defensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reductiRoss ValleyFairfax Manor (West)Defensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleyRoss (south)Defensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleySleepy HollowDefensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction. 93 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyRoss ValleyCascade CanyonDefensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleyFairfax (East)Defensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleyAlameda, Morningside, Upper San Anselmo AveDefensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleyRoss (central)Defensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleySan Anselmo (east)Defensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleyHawthorne HillsDefensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction. 94 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyRoss ValleySan Francisco BlvdDefensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleySan Anselmo DowntownDefensible Space improvement and enforcement in the WUI; fire apparatus access on roadways; egress and escape routes on roadways; egress and escape routes on steps and lanes and paths; potential shaded fuel breaks between open space and WUI; fuel reduction.Ross ValleySmith Ranch areas Fuel reduction/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelProfessional Center Parkway areas Fuel reduction/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelSan Pedro Ridge: Dominican Neighborhood, Glenwood Neighborhood, Peacock Gap areasFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelSan Rafael Hill to Ridgewood Ave (end) Fuel reduction/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelGerstle ParkFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelBret HarteFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelCA State Park Fuel reductionSan RafaelSmith Ranch areas Fuel reduction/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelGerstle ParkFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelBret HarteFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelSan Rafael Hill to Ridgewood Ave (end) Fuel reduction/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelProfessional Center Parkway areas Fuel reduction/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelTerra Linda neighborhoods Fuel reduction/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelLos Ranchitos areasFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public education 95 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategySan RafaelWest EndFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public educationSan RafaelSan Pedro Ridge: Dominican Neighborhood, Glenwood Neighborhood, Peacock Gap areasFuel reduction/roadway clearance/Firewise community/public educationSleepy HollowLoma Alta Fuel ModificationSouthern MarinRicardo Open Spc. Goat grazing ‐ post graze masticationSouthern MarinAutumn Ln/Cabin Brush removal/canopy lift/burn piles/shaded fuel breakSouthern MarinRing Mtn. Area 100' off prop lines ‐ def space clearingSouthern MarinRodeo Water Tank Goat grazing ‐ subsequent brush masticationSouthern MarinMeda Project Tree thinning/brush removalSouthern MarinMilland Goat grazing ‐ post brush masticationSouthern MarinSeminary Pine tree removalSouthern MarinHawkhill Goat raze ‐ post brush removalSouthern MarinLaguna/Forest Brush removal ‐ shaded fuel breakSouthern MarinLattie Lane/Hwy. 1 Goat grazing ‐ post graze masticationSouthern MarinHwy 1 ‐ Erica/Friars Eucalyptus removalSouthern MarinSo. Morning Sun/Tennessee Chipper days (2) & roadway clearanceSouthern MarinBlackfield Goat graze ‐ brush removal afterSouthern MarinUS 101/Wolfback Eucalyptus removal/brush cut/shaded fuel breakSouthern MarinEdwards/Marion Brush removal ‐ shaded fuel breakSouthern MarinCabin Drive Eucalyptus removalSouthern MarinAqua Hotel Hill Pompas grass removal & goat grazing ‐ hand cut & stack brushSouthern MarinFairview Road pavingSouthern MarinHomestead Valley L.T. Eucalyptus removal/brush cut/shaded fuel breakTiburon FPDRing Mountain fuel modification, fuel reduction, access, water supply, fire roadsTiburon FPDOld St Hilary's Open Space fuel modification, fuel reduction, access, water supplyTiburon FPDMiddle Ridge Open Space fuel modification, fuel reduction, access, water supplyTiburon FPDAll town of Tiburon properties fuel modification, accessTiburon FPDSouth Knoll Playground/McKegney Green fuel reduction, access maintenance 96 Appendix B Exhibit A. All Area of Concern Data Acquired from Local Stakeholder Agencies Data shown in Figure 9Agency Geograpic Location/Description Fuel Reduction StrategyTiburon FPDSugarloaf Drive to Paradise Drive fuel modification, fuel reduction, access, water supply, fire roadsTiburon FPDOpen Space fuel modification, fuel reduction, access, water supplyTiburon FPDMiddle Ridge Open Space fuel modification, fuel reduction, access, water supplyTiburon FPDGreenwood Beach/Audubon fuel reduction, access maintenanceTiburon FPDBlackies Pasture fuel reduction, access maintenanceTiburon FPDTiburon Marsh seasonal grass maintenance, fuel modificationTiburon FPDRomberg Tiburon Centerfuel reduction, access, water supply, building maintenance, fire roadsTiburon FPDBelvedere Lanes and right of waysvegetation modification, fuel reduction, public right of way clearance, westshore road accessTiburon FPDTom Price Park dead trees, high grasses, fuel modificationTiburon FPDParadise State Parkfuel reduction, access, water supply, building maintenance, fire roads 97 Appendix B Exhibit B. 2015 Pre‐Fire Projects 2015 Unit Fire Plan/CAL MAPPERAgency & Project Name SRA, Threat, LRA Project Type CALMAPPER IDWork Agent StatusYear Complete Net AcresTAM Community Service District MRN D Space 1010‐2015‐FRP‐003 TAM CREW P 2015 2MMWD BILL WILLIAMS FB MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐004 MMWD M 2015 4MMWD DEER PARK RD MRN Road Maint 1010‐2015‐FRP‐005 MMWD M 2015 9MMWD KNOB I MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐006 Contract M 2015 48MMWD KNOB II MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐006 Contract M 2015 28MMWD LAGUNITAS ROCK SPRING BREAK MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐007 MMWD M 2015 12MMWD LOWER RAILROAD GRADE MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐008 Contract P 2015 18MMWD NATALIE COFFIN GREENE DIBBLEE MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐009 Contract M 2015 8MMWD PETERS DAM AND DSPACE MRN D space 1010‐2015‐FRP‐010 MMWD M 2015 10MMWD PHOENIX DAM MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐011 MMWD M 2015 2PHOENIX LAKE ROAD FB MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐012 MMWD M 2015 3MMWD PINE MOUNTAIN FB MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐013 MMWD M 2015 13MMWD PINE MOUNTAIN SOUTH GATE MRN VMP Burn 1010‐2015‐VMP‐002 MMWD p 2015 30MMWD PORTEOUS FB MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐014 Contract P 2015 19MMWD ROCK SPRING MRN VMP Burn 1010‐2015‐VMP‐002 MMWD M 2015 37MMWD ROSS RESERVOIR BREAK MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐015 Contract M 2015 17MMWD SHAVER GRADE BREAK MRN Road Maint 1010‐2015‐FRP‐016 MMWD M 2015 8MMWD SKY OAKS HEADQUARTERS MRN D Space 1010‐2015‐FRP‐017 MMWD M 2015 10MMWD SKY OAKS MEADOW MRN VMP Burn 1010‐2015‐VMP‐003 MMWD M 2015 47MMWD WORN SPRING MIDDLE MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐018 Contract M 2015 16MMWD WORN SPRING NORTH MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐018 Contract M 2015 11MMWD Middle Peak Dspace MRN D space 1010‐2015‐FRP‐019 MCFD P 2016 1MMWD North VMP MRN VMP Burn 1010‐2015‐VMP‐004 MCFD P 2015 481MCP CITY SAN RAF Scettrini 1&2THRT Fuel Break1010‐2014‐VMP‐008TAM CrewO2016 5MCOSD Terra Linda/Sleepy Hollow Preserve MRN Defensible Space MCPA2016 49MCOSD King Mountain Phase 1MRN FB maintenance MCFDP2015 10MCOSD King Mountain Phase 2 MRN Fuel Break Tam CrewC2015 10MCOSD Camino Alto Phase 1‐4MRN Fuel Break MVFDM2015 50MCOSD Camino Alto Phase 5MRN Fuelbreak MVFDP2018 20MCOSD Hillside Fuel BreakMRN Fuelbreak MVFDC2015 5MCSOD Middle Summit Fire Road MRN FB Maint MVFD M 2015 4Exhibit B. Project List from the 2015 Fire Plan 98 Appendix B Exhibit B. 2015 Pre‐Fire Projects 2015 Unit Fire Plan/CAL MAPPERAgency & Project Name SRA, Threat, LRA Project Type CALMAPPER IDWork Agent StatusYear Complete Net AcresMCOSD Crown/Coronet MRN FB maint KNTFD P 2016 4.5MCOSD Terra Linda Ridge MRN fb/ecu removal TAM & Contract P 2015 40MCOSD/KNTFD Baltimore Cyn/Ridgecrest MRN FB maint KNTFD Contract P 2015 31MCOSD/MMWD/KNTFD‐ BWGulch/Indian FR MRN Fuel Break P 2016 TBD MCOSD Cascade Canyon Fuel Break MRN Fuel Break Contract P 2017 41MCOSD/MCFD King Mountain Phase 2 MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2013‐VMP‐009 TAM Crew C 2015 14MCOSD/MVFD Mill Valley Fuel Break MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2014‐VMP‐006 A 2016 61MCOSD Gary Giacomini Preserve MRN Defensible Space 1010‐2014‐VMP‐002 P 2017 10MCOSD Blithedale Ridge FB Area 1,2,3 MRN FB maintenance‐MVFD M 2015 15MCOSD Corte Madera Ridge Fuel Break MRN FB maintenance‐MVFD M 2015 6MVFD/MCOSD Corte Madera Ridge Fuel Break MRN Fuel Break A 2017 32NVFD/MCOFD Sleepy Hollow Community DefensMRN D space TAM & Contract P 2015 0NPS Smith Road Euc Thin MRN Thinning 1010‐2015‐FRP‐030 P 2015 11NPS Marin Drive Euc Thin MRN Thinning 1010‐2015‐FRP‐029 P 2015 32NPS Tam Valley WUI Fuel Reduction MRN Fuel Reduction 1010‐2015‐FRP‐027 P 2015 27NPS Inverness Ridge Mechanical FR MRN Mech fuel red 1010‐2015‐FRP‐020 P 2015‐2018 81NPS Bolinas Ridge Thinning MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2015‐FRP‐024 P 2015‐2018 81NPS Forest Wy WUI Fuel Reduction MRN Fuel Reduction 1010‐2015‐FRP‐028 P 2016 5NPS Lamintour Rx MRN Prescribed Fire 1010‐2015‐FRP‐026 P 2016 128NPS Mc Curdy Rx MRN Prescribed Fire 1010‐2015‐FRP‐021 P 2016 127NPS Strain Hill Rx MRN Prescribed Fire 1010‐2015‐FRP‐022 P 2015 74NPS Dogtown Rx MRN Prescribed Fire 1010‐2015‐FRP‐023 P 2015 44MCFD Shroyer Mtn FB MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2012‐VMP‐003 O 2016 TBDMCFD Triple C Ranch MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2012‐VMP‐007 O 2016 TBDMCFD Iron Spring Road Fuel Break MRN Fuel Break‐A 2018 22MCFD Throckmorton Fire Road MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2011‐FPL‐001 MCFD M 2015 1MCFD/VFD Rancho Santa Margarita MRN Fire Rd/DSpace P 2015 0MCFD 4291 Inspections Inverness MRN D Space 1010‐2015‐PRV‐001 MCFD P 2015 1MCFD Priority Fire Road Maintenance MRN Fire Rd Maint. 4200‐2015‐FRP‐002 MCFD P 2015 TBDMCFD 4291 Inspections Woodacres/Lagunitas/FMRN D space 1010‐2015‐PRV‐002 MCFD P 2015 0MCFD/Novato Burnt Ridge FB, Novato MRN Fuel Break 1010‐2012‐VMP‐004 TAM Crew O 2015‐2020 75MCFD Skywalker Ranch MRN D Space 1010‐2012‐VMP‐006 TAM Crew O MCFD Dickson Lookout MRN Pile Burn 1010‐2015‐FRP‐033 MCFD C 2015 0.1 99 Appendix B Exhibit B. 2015 Pre‐Fire Projects 2015 Unit Fire Plan/CAL MAPPERAgency & Project Name SRA, Threat, LRA Project Type CALMAPPER IDWork Agent StatusYear Complete Net AcresMCFD Green Waste Days – Nicasio MRN Disposal 1010‐2015‐FRP‐031W Marin Compost P 2015 0MCFD Countwide CWPP MRN Plan 1010‐2015‐FRP‐032FIRE SAFE Marin P 2015‐2016 0MCFD Tam Lookout Dspace MRN D space MCFD P 2016 TBDKNTFD 4291 Inspections – Kent Woodland EstateMRN D SpaceFire Inspector P 2015 0Status Guide: Work Agent: A= activeContract, Agency (Fire Dept,crew, engine) P=planningC=completeO=ongoingm= maintenance 100 ● ● ● Appendix C: Glossary ● ● ● 101 Appendix C: Glossary Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) – The organization, office, or individual responsible for approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 4). Aspect – Compass direction toward which a slope faces (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 4). Building – Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 4). Combustible – Any material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated, will ignite and burn or will add appreciable heat to an ambient fire (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) – Addresses issues such as wildfire response, hazard mitigation, community preparedness, or structure protection. The process of developing a CWPP can help communities clarify and refine their priorities for the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure in the WUI (Source: Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, March, 2004, http://www.stateforesters.org/files/cwpphandbook.pdf ). Condition Class – Describes fire-related risk to ecosystems and relates current expected wildfires to their historic frequency and effects. Condition class ranks are defined as the relative risk of losing key components that define an ecosystem. Higher ranked areas present greater risk to ecosystem health. Condition class is a measure of the expected response of ecosystems to fire given current vegetation type and structure that often is far different from that historically present. ● ● ● Appendix C: Glossary ● ● ● 102 Class Departure from natural regimes Vegetation composition, structure, fuels Fire behavior, severity, pattern Disturbance agents, native species, hydrologic functions Increased smoke production Low Condition Class 1 None, minimal Similar Similar Within natural range of variation Low Moderate Condition Class 2 Moderate Moderately altered Uncharacteristic Outside historical range of variation Moderate High Condition Class 3 High Significantly different Highly uncharacteristic Substantially outside historical range of variation High (Source: CDF FRAP 2003 Forest and Range Assessment, p. 98) Defensible Space – An area as defined by the AHJ (typically a width of 30-100 feet or more) between an improved property and a potential wildland fire where combustible materials and vegetation have been removed or modified to reduce the potential for fire on improved property spreading to wildland fuels and to provide a safe working area for fire fighters protecting life and improved property from wildland fire (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5), or as defined by PRC 4291. Disaster – Disaster is characterized by the scope of an emergency. An emergency becomes a disaster when it exceeds the capability of the local resources to manage it. Disasters often result in great damage, loss, or destruction (Greene, R.W., Confronting Catastrophe, ESRI Press, 2002, p. 110). Dry Hydrant – An arrangement of pipe permanently connected to a water source other than a piped, pressurized water supply system that provides a ready means of water supply for fire-fighting purposes and that uses the drafting (suction) capability of fire department pumpers (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Dwelling – One or more living units, each providing complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 4). ● ● ● Appendix C: Glossary ● ● ● 103 Emergency – A deviation from planned or expected behavior or course of events that endangers or adversely affects people, property, or the environment (Greene, R.W., Confronting Catastrophe, ESRI Press, 2002, p. 110). Evacuation/Escape Route – A route away from dangerous areas on a fire; should be preplanned. Fire Behavior – The manner in which a fire reacts to the influences of fuel, weather, and topography. Fire Frequency – A broad measure of the rate of fire occurrence in a particular area. For historical analyses, fire frequency is often expressed using the fire return interval calculation. For modern-era analyses, where data on timing and size of fires are recorded, fire frequency is often best expressed using fire rotation (CDF FRAP 2003 Forest and Range Assessment, p. A-12). Fire Hazard – A fuel complex, defined by volume, type condition, arrangement, and location that determine the degree of ease of ignition and of resistance to control. Fire Lane – A means of access or other passageway designated and identified to provide access for emergency apparatus where parking is not allowed (NFPA, NFPA 1141, 1998, p. 4). Fire Protection – All measures taken to reduce the burden of fire on the quality of life. Fire protection includes measures such as fire prevention, fire suppression, built-in fire protection systems, and planning and building codes (NFPA, NFPA 1141, 1998, p. 4). Fire Protection System – Any fire alarm device or system or fire extinguishing device or system, or combination, that is designed and installed for detecting, controlling, or extinguishing a fire or otherwise alerting occupants, or the fire department, or both, that a fire has occurred (NFPA, NFPA 1141, 1998, p. 4). Fire Threat – The combination of two factors: 1) fire frequency, or the likelihood of a given area burning, and 2) potential fire behavior (hazard). Components include surface fuels, topography, fire history, and weather conditions. Fire Regime – A measure of the general pattern of fire frequency and severity typical to a particular area or type of landscape: The regime can include other metrics of the fire, including seasonality and typical fire size, as well as a measure of the pattern of variability in characteristics (CDF FRAP 2003 Forest and Range Assessment, p. A-12). Fire Road - improved or unimproved roads, public or private, that provide access for firefighting equipment and personnel to undeveloped areas (MCFD Ordinance, Chapter 5 Section 502.1). Fire Rotation – An area-based average estimate of fire frequency, calculated as the length of time necessary for an area equal to the total area of interest to burn. Fire rotation is often applied to regionally stratified land groupings where individual fire-return interval across the variability of the ● ● ● Appendix C: Glossary ● ● ● 104 strata (i.e., the fine scale pattern of variation in timing of fires) is unknown, but detailed information on fire size is known. Hence, fire rotation is a common estimate of fire frequency during periods of recorded fire sizes (CDF FRAP 2003 Forest and Range Assessment, p. A-12). Fire Weather – Weather conditions that influence fire starts, fire behavior or fire suppression (FIREWISE Communities, 2009. Firebreak – A natural or constructed barrier used to stop or check fires that may occur, or to provide a control line from which to work (FIREWISE Communities, 2009. Fuelbreak – An area, strategically located for fighting anticipated fires, where the native vegetation has been permanently modified or replaced so that fires burning into it can be more easily controlled. Fuel breaks divide fire-prone areas into smaller areas for easier fire control and to provide access for firefighting. Fuels – All combustible material within the wildland/urban interface or intermix, including vegetation and structures. Fuel Loading – The volume of fuel in a given area generally expressed in tons per acre. Fuel Models – Description of the types of vegetative combustible material: • Light Fuels – grasses, forbs • Medium Fuels – short light brush and small trees • Heavy Fuels – tall dense brush, timber and hardwoods • Slash Fuels – logs, chunks, bark, branches, stumps, and broken understory trees and brush. Fuel Modification – Any manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition or the resistance to fire control (FIREWISE Communities, 2009). Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – The combination of skilled persons, spatial and descriptive data, analytic methods, and computer software and hardware – all organized to automate, manage, and deliver information though geographic presentation (i.e., maps) (Zeiler, M., Modeling Our World, ESRI Press, 1999, p. 46). Ground Fuels – All combustible materials such as grass, duff, loose surface litter, tree or shrub roots, rotting wood, leaves, peat or sawdust that typically support combustion. Hazard – Refers generally to physical characteristics that may cause an emergency. Earthquake faults, flood zones, and highly flammable brush fields are all examples of hazards (Greene, R.W., Confronting Catastrophe, ESRI Press, 2002, p. 110). Also see Fire Hazard. Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA), 2003 – This Act gives incentives for communities to engage in comprehensive forest planning and prioritization. This legislation includes statutory ● ● ● Appendix C: Glossary ● ● ● 105 incentives for the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to give consideration to the priorities of local communities as they develop and implement forest management and hazardous fuel reduction priorities. The Act emphasizes the need for federal agencies to work collaboratively with communities in developing hazardous fuel reduction projects, and places priority on treatment areas identified by communities themselves in a CWPP (Source: Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. March, 2004). Improved Property – A piece of land or real estate upon which a structure has been placed, a marketable crop is growing (including timber), or other property improvement has been made (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Intermix – An area where improved property and wildland fuels meet with no clearly defined boundary (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Ladder Fuels – Fuels that provide vertical continuity allowing fire to carry from surface fuels in the crowns of trees or shrubs with relative ease (FIREWISE Communities, 2009). Mitigation – Action that moderates the severity of a fire or risk (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) – An international nonprofit organization, established in 1896, to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. NFPA-1144 Standard for Protection of life and Property from Wildfire – Standard developed by the NFPA to be used to provide minimum planning, construction, maintenance, education, and management elements for the protection of life, property, and other values that could be threatened by wildland fire. The standard shall be used to provide minimum requirements to parties responsible for fire protection, land use planning, property development, property maintenance, and others responsible for or interested in improving fire and life safety in areas where wildland fire could threaten lives, property, and other values (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 4). Noncombustible – Any material that, in the form in which it is used and under the conditions anticipated will not ignite and burn nor will add appreciable heat to an ambient fire (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Overstory – That portion of the trees in a forest that forms the upper or uppermost layer. Risk – The potential or likelihood of an emergency to occur. For example, the risk of damage to a structure from wildfire is high if it is built upon, or adjacent to, a highly flammable brush field or other area deemed to have a high Fire Threat (Greene, R.W., Confronting Catastrophe, ESRI Press, 2002, p. 110). ● ● ● Appendix C: Glossary ● ● ● 106 Safe Zone – An area cleared of flammable materials used for escape in the event the line is outflanked or in case a spot fire causes fuels outside the control line to render the line unsafe. In firing operations, crews progress so as to maintain a safety zone close at hand allowing the fuels inside the control line to be consumed before going ahead. Safety zones may also be constructed as integral parts of fuelbreaks; they are greatly enlarged areas which can be used with relative safety by firefighters and their equipment in the event of blowup in the vicinity. Slope – The variation of terrain from the horizontal; the number of feet rise or fall per 100 feet measured horizontally, expressed as a percentage. Upward or downward incline or slant (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Turnaround – A portion of a roadway, unobstructed by parking, that allows for a safe reversal of direction for emergency equipment (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Turnouts – A widening in a travelway of sufficient length and width to allow vehicles to pass one another (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Understory – Low-growing vegetation (herbaceous, brush or reproduction) growing under a stand of trees. Also, that portion of trees in a forest stand below the Overstory. Water Supply – A source of water for fire-fighting activities (NFPA, NFPA 1144, 2002, p. 5). Wildfire – Any fire occurring on undeveloped land; the term specifies a fire occurring on a wildland area that does not meet management objectives and thus requires a suppression response. Wildland fire protection agencies use this term generally to indicate a vegetation fire. Wildfire often replaces such terms as forest fire, brush fire, range fire, and grass fire (CDF FRAP 2003 Forest and Range Assessment, p. A-17). Wildland – A region with minimal development as evidenced by few structures; transportation networks may traverse the region. Region typically contains natural vegetation and may be used for recreational or agricultural purposes (CDF FRAP 2003 Forest and Range Assessment, p. A-17). Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) – Commonly described as the zone where structures and other human development meet and intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels. In the absence of a CWPP, Section 101 (16) of the HFRA defines WUI as “ (I) an area extending ½ mile from the boundary of an at-risk community; (II) an area within 1 ½ miles of the boundary of an at-risk community, including any land that (1) has a sustained steep slope that creates the potential for wildfire behavior endangering the at-risk community; (2) has a geographic feature that aids in creating an effective fire break, such as a road or ridge top; or (3) is in condition class 3, as documented by the Secretary in the project-specific environmental analysis; (III) an area that is adjacent to an evacuation route for an at-risk community that the Secretary determines, in cooperation with the at-risk community, requires hazardous fuels reduction to provide safer evacuation from the at-risk community.” A CWPP offers the opportunity to establish a localized definition and boundary for the wildland-urban interface (Source: Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. March, 2004). ● ● ● Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ● ● ● 107 Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan This appendix provides an action plan tracking table for the CWPP goals and recommendations outlined in Section 8. ● ● ● Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ● ● ● 108 Key Goals and Corresponding Action Items Agency Status Goal 1. Continue to identify and evaluate wildland fire hazards and recognize life, property, and natural resource assets at risk, including watershed, wildlife habitat, and other values of functioning ecosystems. Continue to collect, analyze, and maintain multi-agency hazard and resource GIS data. Maintain an accessible online GIS portal to store and share the multi- agency maps and data developed throughout this CWPP process. Utilize the GIS information and modeling results presented in Section 5 of this CWPP for pre-fire planning, and to collaboratively develop priorities for projects throughout the county. Develop an inventory of structures with shake and shingle roofing material in each jurisdiction to identify and target education efforts and the need for roof conversions. Consider ways to improve the coverage of the fire detection cameras. Consider ways to use drone technology for fire protection. Goal 2. Articulate and promote the concept of land use planning related to fire risk and individual landowner objectives and responsibilities. Continue to promote the concept of land use planning as it relates to fire risk and landowner responsibilities; identify the key minimum elements necessary to achieve a fire safe community and incorporate these elements into community outreach materials and programs. Continue to implement the structural ignitability activities outlined in Section 7.2. Develop outreach materials outlined in Section 7.1.1. ● ● ● Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ● ● ● 109 Key Goals and Corresponding Action Items Agency Status Coordinate with county and local government staff to integrate Firewise approaches into planning documents and ordinances. Identify approaches to increase the number of WUI properties inspected each year. Continue to support community chipper programs to encourage compliance with defensible space and vegetation management requirements. Continue the structure ignitability efforts currently in place (see Section 7.2). Consider how to make the tree removal process less cumbersome and less expensive. Goal 3. Support and continue to participate in the collaborative development and implementation of wildland fire protection plans and other local, county, and regional plans that address fire protection and landowner objectives. Work collaboratively with county, local, and regional agencies and landowners to develop fuel reduction priorities and strategies based on this CWPP, local CWPPs, and/or other regional plans. Support the development and implementation of local-scale CWPPs. Provide a collaboration mechanism between private property owners (and Home Owners Associations) and large land owners (i.e., MCOSD, MMWD, NPS) Consider the creation of transition zones (areas between developed residential areas and open space areas) where additional defensible space or additional vegetation clearance is needed. ● ● ● Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ● ● ● 110 Key Goals and Corresponding Action Items Agency Status Goal 4. Increase awareness, knowledge, and actions implemented by individuals and communities to reduce human loss and property damage from wildland fires, such as defensible space and fuels reduction activities, and fire prevention through fire safe building standards. Continue to implement the defensible space and outreach activities outlined in Section 7.2. Develop outreach materials outlined in Section 7.1.1. Continue inter-agency coordination with Marin’s fire service community and other partners to maintain a community presence and to develop and distribute public information regarding fuel reduction efforts throughout the county. Educate landowners, residents, and business owners about the risks and personal responsibilities of living in the wildlands, including applicable regulations and prevention measures and preplanning activities. Continue efforts to partner with neighborhoods located in WUI areas to educate them on becoming fire adapted or Firewise communities. Continue to educate and prepare communities through an emphasis on the Ready, Set, Go! and the Firewise community programs, and create and support venues in which individual community members can be actively involved in local fire safe councils, community emergency response teams, and other community-based efforts in order to develop readiness plans and educate landowners to mitigate the risks and effects of wildland fire. ● ● ● Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ● ● ● 111 Key Goals and Corresponding Action Items Agency Status Continue to increase education and awareness about structural ignitability and defensible space; develop and distribute educational materials to vendors and contractors who sell or install fire resistant materials, and make these materials available at local home improvement stores. Increase the number of annual defensible space inspections and increase enforcement. Consider providing defensible space financial assistance for senior citizens. Better enforce defensible space compliance with absentee property owners. Develop and distribute more information about fire resistant landscaping. Create a fire blog. Develop an App for evacuation route information. Goal 5. Integrate fire and fuels management practices with landowner priorities and multiple jurisdictional efforts within local, state, and federal responsibility areas. Continue to implement the vegetation management and fuel reduction activities outlined in Section 7.2. Continue implementation of the countywide fuel break and fire plan implementation. ● ● ● Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ● ● ● 112 Key Goals and Corresponding Action Items Agency Status Continue to implement and maintain vegetation management projects along highly-traveled roadways and access points into all public lands in order to minimize ignitions. Prioritize evacuation routes for fuel reduction programs Develop traffic congestion controls along evacuation routes Implement stronger parking enforcement along evacuation routes Continue to maintain foot trail network in Mill Valley Implement maintenance program for foot trail network in Fairfax Encourage community-level drills for evacuation preparedness Develop a program to address fuel reduction on vacant properties. Consider grazing as a fuel reduction strategy. Consider if additional vegetation reduction are required from roadways that are key evacuation routes into or out of a particular neighborhood Create extended or enhanced vegetation fuels management along all identified evacuation routes from developed residential and open space areas. Create transition zones to extend shaded fuel breaks between developed residential areas and open space areas. Identify and implement vegetation management projects in priority WUI communities throughout the county. ● ● ● Appendix D: CWPP Action Plan ● ● ● 113 Key Goals and Corresponding Action Items Agency Status Work to reduce regulatory barriers that limit hazardous fuels reduction activities (e.g., tree removal process). Use the published science on fire ecology to assess the costs, benefits, and best implementation tools for different fuels reduction and vegetation management strategies that are intended to reduce fire risk to lives and property. Continue to develop strategic partnerships and funding opportunities with local industries to support fuel reduction projects. MARIN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT 33 Castle Rock Rd, PO Box 518 Woodacre, CA 94973 www.marincountyfire.org in collaboration with www.firesafemarin.org