HomeMy WebLinkAboutFD Wildfire Prevention and Protection Action Plan PPTSan Rafael
Wildfire Prevention and
Protection
Action Plan
San Rafael City Council
Meeting
January 22nd, 2019
1. Be informed & engaged
2. Have & practice a plan
3. Gather & organize supplies
3 steps to Preparedness
One Part of San Rafael’s
All-Hazard Planning
Current Wildfire
Prevention Efforts
•Mitigation: Fuel reduction and community chipper
days
•Enforcement: Vegetation inspections, Open Space
Police Ranger Patrols, and parking enforcement
•Outreach: Firewise, community events, training
•Planning: Marin County CWPP-Community
Wildfire Prevention Plan
•Prepositioning: In coordination with Marin and Cal
OES additional resources are prepositioned on
high risk fire days
Home
Ignition Zones
Wildfire Safety Action Plan
•Immediate Ordinance
Changes
•Immediate Programs
and Projects
•Planned Ordinance
Changes
•Planned Programs
and Projects
Summary of Objectives
•Ordinance changes to
mitigate wildfire risk
•Additional staffing, funds
and resources to address
hazards
•Expanded and new outreach
and education
•Expanded and new fuel
reduction
•Expanded and new
preparedness efforts
•Improving and increasing
Vegetation Management
Plans (VMPs)
Methodology
Action This section includes a description of the proposed action.
What this means This section should explain in more detail what this action would mean to
those impacted by it.
Rationale This section includes a discussion of why we recommend this, including the
scale of impact we believe it will have.
Concerns This section includes a discussion of political, legal, or cost feasibility
concerns that we’ve identified. List any trade-offs, such as the dedication of
existing staffing resources away from other projects to do this work.
Costs This section includes estimated one-time and on-going costs to the City, as
well as any costs the community may incur. The standards for evaluation are
listed below.
Stakeholders This section includes a list of stakeholders.
Timeline This section says if the action is underway and if not, why. For example,
note here if the action requires further or extensive legal review, future City
Council action, community outreach, program design work, etc.
# Objective: Formed from public and City concerns
$ Supported by current budget
$$ Requires reprogramming of budget
$$$ Requires additional funding
@ Supported by current staff
@@ Requires reallocation of staff time
@@@ Requires additional funding
Action Plan:
Summary of
Objectives
Immediate
Ordinance
Changes:
Items 1-6
•Eliminate highly flammable vegetation
throughout San Rafael
•Juniper, Bamboo, Acacia, and Italian Cypress
•Require every property owner maintain
defensible space
•Establish “house out” ignition zone standards (4)
•Clarify smoking is prohibited in open spaces all
year long by eliminating a specific time frame
associated with fire season (5)
•Set 2029 (or resale) as the deadline to replace
shake and wooden roofs with class A fire
resistant material (6)
#1 Eliminate highly flammable
vegetation throughout San Rafael
•2007 ordinance change
prohibited Juniper and
Bamboo in WUI
•Ordinance will be
updated to include
Acacia and Italian
Cypress
•Ordinance will be
updated to apply
citywide
•Mill Valley recently
made the same change
Ordinance Change
The Dangers of
Juniper
#2 Apply vegetation management standards citywide
#3 Adopt Public Resource Code 4290 and 4291
•The threat of wildfire
extends beyond the WUI
•A firesafe San Rafael
requires citywide
vegetation standards
•PRC 4290 & 4291
establish guidelines for
defensible space
Roof Maintenance
Defensible Space
4. HOUSE OUT IGNITION ZONE STANDARDS
•Reduce likelihood of embers igniting homes by reducing fuels around structures through a selection of
the following:
A) Immediate area hardscape. Only short grass and succulents permitted
B) No vegetation in contact with structure
C) Hardwood trees limbed and maintained in a way the prevents a “fire bridge”
D) No vegetation under or near windows, decks, and stairs
E) Vines and Ivy shall be well-irrigated and free of dead debris
F) No ground covering (mulch) shall have contact with combustible walls or plants
•Exemption requests will complete a VMP
#5 Apply fire mitigation
codes 365 days a year
•SRMC will be
updated to clarify
fire code
•Clarifies smoking is
prohibited in open
space all year
Ordinance Change
#6 Eliminate fire hazard
associated with shake and
wooden roofs
•Ordinance update will
require all shake or
wooden roofs be replace
by January 1, 2029 or at
the time of resale
•All new construction will
have fire safe roofing
•Non-combustible roofs
greatly increase the
likelihood of a structure
surviving a wildfire
Ordinance Change
#7 Increase funding and
resources available for wildfire
mitigation
•Seek out new funding
avenues, partnerships and
revenue opportunities to
mitigate wildfire risk
•CAL FIRE Fire Prevention Grant
~$993,000 requested. Awards in
April, funds available in
September.
•Submitting a project proposal to
receive a National Civilian
Conservation Corps (AmeriCorps
NCCC) in summer of 2019. Focus
on fuel reduction.
•Hazard Mitigation Grants due
April 2019
•Exploring partnerships with the
Downtown Street Team
Ongoing Project
#8 Immediately seize ignition sources at
encampments and remove
encampments as quickly as possible
•Continue immediate
removal of flammable
items and ignition
sources
•Continue collaborative
Homeless Emergency
Action Team (HEAT)
efforts
•Considerations include
item storage
Ongoing Project
Staffing
Requests
•#9 –Additional full time Vegetation
Management staff
•Currently 1 full time fixed term and 1 part time
•Increase inspections and enforcement
•Coordinate strategic fuel management on public land
•Coordinate Community Chipper Days
•Increase public outreach and education
•#10-Increase Police Ranger Staffing
•Currently 2 part time Police Rangers
•Increased staffing would allow for year round patrols
and earlier detection of encampments
#11 Improve public education regarding fire-
safe landscaping and planning for wildfire
•Increased outreach and education efforts
•Increase public education of wildfire prevention and defensible
space
•Increase outreach and education around evacuation and areas
of refuge, including for people with Access and Functional
Needs (AFN)
•Note: AFN includes mobility, language, age, medical
needs, and many other considerations that may require
someone to need additional support before, during or
after an incident
•Incorporate lessons learned from past disasters into outreach
and education
#12 Increase capability for early
fire warnings and detection
•Install wildfire detection
cameras on San Rafael
Hill and San Pedro Ridge
•Cameras can be
monitored by San
Rafael Fire and
County resources
•Coordinate efforts with
PG&E to install
additional micro-
weather stations
Expanded Program
#13 Improve public
emergency
alerting
capabilities and
policies
•Currently SRPD uses opt-in Nixle for alerts
and Marin County uses AlertMarin
(Everbridge) for opt-in and other alerts
•Upgrading SRPD’s Nixle will allow San
Rafael to increase messaging
•Review and update of policies to
coordinate County and City alerts and
notifications
•Explore additional alerting methods
Improved Alerting
•Alerts
•Rumors
•CERT, etc.
Nixle: Text zip code to 888-777
(SRPD)
Alert Marin: alertmarin.org
(SRFD & Marin County)
PG&E Alerts: PGE.com/wildfiresafety
Sign up for all areas
you live, work, & play
#14 Analysis of fire roads
and strategic fuel breaks
•Fire roads provide
access and serve as fuel
breaks
•Improvements to the
width and surface of
fire roads
#15 Expand goat grazing for
vegetation maintenance
•Goats help manage
reoccurring fuels, such
as grasses and Broom
•After fuel breaks are
established goats are
effective means to
maintain
•Removing invasive
species allows native
plants to thrive
#16 Assure that residents can evacuate
through garage doors if power is out
•Ability to open garage impacts the ability to
evacuate
•Senate Bill 969 (effective 7/1/19) requires new and
replacement automatic garage doors have backup
battery
•Consider retrofit requirement and public education
•Specific concern for AFN
Vegetation
Management
Plans
•Provides templates for property owners to
develop Fire Resistant Landscaping
•Planned ordinance changes will require more
VMPs are created and submitted
•VMPs will streamline enforcement and serve
as reference documents
VMP Related
Objectives
•#17 Improve development and
implementation of VMPs
•#26 –Explore and determine opportunities
to increase the number of completed VMPs
•#27 –Incorporate VMPs into resale and
transfers
#18 Assure that appropriate staff
can send and receive emergency
alerts
•Additional training and
testing
•Review and consider
expansion of staff with
access
•Database management
and inter-agency
coordination
#19 Reduce fuels along
roadways
•Fuels along evacuation
routes can make escape
dangerous or impossible
•Establish policy to clarify
enforcement of vegetation
along roadways
•Review SRMC to determine
if ordinance changes are
needed
•Replacing highly flammable
plants with hardwoods
#20 Reduce fuel around
critical infrastructure
•Reduce ignitions and
protect infrastructure
•Partnership with
Utilities and property
owners
•Clarification and
education regarding
property owner
responsibility
#21 Assure City
staff can
communicate
during an
emergency
•Avoid communication breakdowns
during high use times
•Review current and enroll additional
staff into priority communication
tools
•Wireless Priority Service (WPS) and
Government Emergency
Telecommunications Service (GETS)
•Free services
#22 Establish more Firewise
communities in San Rafael
•Firewise is an NFPA program that “teaches
people how to adopt to living with wildfire
and encourages neighbors to work together
and take action now to prevent losses”
•Two new communities recognized in 2019
•Outreach and support of neighborhoods going
through program
#23 Review and
Update WUI map
•Identify and correct discrepancies
between City and County map
•Simplify boundaries
•Currently about 45% of San Rafael
parcels fall within City WUI
•WUI updates may add 2,600
homes to WUI
#24 Apply CA Fire Code 7A
to additional structures
•CA Fire Code 7A
establishes fire resistant
building material
requirements
•Currently 7A only applies
to new construction and
substantial (50%)
remodels within the WUI
•Consider 7A compliance
on citywide new
construction
•Consider additional
thresholds requiring 7A
Wildfire Resistant Design
#25 Establish a residential hillside “parking
box” program
•Implement new parking box
program on narrow roadways
•Replaces “six feet from center”
in designated areas
•Assures responder access with
at least 10 feet of clear roadway
•Improve ability to enforce
•Increased enforcement on Red
Flag Days
#28 Prevent potential entrapment
by requiring two gates
•Requirement for new
and replacement
fences to have 2
gates in opposing
directions
•Education around
benefit of additional
gates for evacuation
# 29 Reduce fire risk and keep visitors using short-term rentals safe
•Visitors in the area may not be as familiar with
wildfire safety or be signed up for local
emergency alerts
•Short-term rentals have fewer regulations than
traditional lodging
•Educating visitors will help prevent ignitions and
provide them the information they need for
emergencies
•Requiring a VMP on file will reduce potential
ignitions and provide safety through defensible
space
#30 Review and expand
evacuation plans
•Collaborative
countywide evacuation
plans exist
•Additional details to be
added to San Rafael
•Attention to Access and
Functional Needs
•Increase public
education of evacuation
plans and best practices
Collaboration and Coordination
•Countywide Basis
•Fire
•Police
•Office of Emergency
Services
•Evacuation Types
•Structural Defense
Tactical Actions
•Structural Triage
•Mutual Threat Zone
Mapping
Evacuation Planning
#31 Develop comprehensive San
Rafael hazardous vegetation study
and mitigation measures
•Parcel level mapping
•Identify specific risk areas and
develop mitigation strategies
•Special attention paid to Eucalyptus
grove locations, density and proximity
to structures
#32 Establish additional
fuel interruption zones
•Fuel interruption zones reduce
ignitions and slow or stop wildfire
spread
•Remove hazardous fuels within 30-50
feet of public property bordering
private
GERSTLE PARK BEFORE AFTER
#33 Engage CERT members in
fire prevention
•Develop program and training to engage CERT in
prevention, outreach and education
#35 Reengage volunteer “Broom Pull Days”
•In Coordination with volunteer program, work to
reestablish an ongoing volunteer program to pull
invasive broom from public space
#34 Reduce hazardous fuels
through an abatement process
•Abate private
unimproved lots not
maintaining defensible
space
•Inspect, notice, and
hold public hearing for
any property facing
abatement
•Fines and fuel removal
cost billed to property
owners via property tax
bill or other means
#36 Increase fire risk signage
•Install new and improved fire risk signs at open space
access points and along roads in high risk areas
•Increase public awareness of fire risk and wildfire
prevention
#37 Effectively Coordinate
the removal of vegetative
debris
•Develop a plan to address
increased vegetative debris
•Considerations to recycling and
woody biomass process facility to
reduce environmental impact
•Public education for “fill your green
bin”