VERY HIGH FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES (VH FHSZ) IN LOCAL RESPONSIBLITY AREAS (LRA)

Map of Carmel-by-the-Sea
Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VH FHSZ) in Local Responsibility Areas (LRA)
As Recommended by CAL FIRE

ABSTRACT: Critical information about Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s website is presented, including selected Questions and Answers about Fire Hazard Severity Zones, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas and a link to a Map of Carmel-by-the-Sea delineating Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. NOTES present selected relevant excerpts from Government Code Sections 51175 – 51982 pertaining to requirements for cities with Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. A Power Point Presentation on Fire Ratings for Roofs link is provided; it is important to note that fire retardant pressure-treated wood shakes result in a “stand alone” Class B roof covering, but used in conjunction with an appropriate underlying fire barrier material, such as gypsum/fiberglass panel product, a Class-A assembly will result.

Question about fire hazard severity zones
What is a “Fire Hazard Severity Zone,” or FHSZ?
Answer: California law requires CAL FIRE to identify areas based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail there. These areas, or “zones,” are based on factors such as fuel (material that can burn), slope and fire weather. There are three zones, based on increasing fire hazard…medium, high and very high.

Questions about designation of very high fire hazard severity zones in local responsibility areas
NOTE: The Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for Local Responsibility Area will be rolled out in 2008. An expanded question/answer sheet will be provided in this space at that time. This Q and A contains a limited amount of detail and is provided as an introduction to next year’s program.

What is “Local Responsibility Area”, or LRA?
Answer: Wildland fire protection in California is the responsibility of either the State, local government, or the federal government. Local responsibility areas include incorporated cities, cultivated agriculture lands, and portions of the desert. Local responsibility area fire protection is typically provided by city fire departments, fire protection districts, counties, and by CAL FIRE under contract to local government.

What is the “Bates” bill?
Answer: The “Bates” bill, Government Code Section 51175, was prompted by the devastating Oakland Hills Fire of 1991. This mid-1990s legislation calls for the CAL FIRE Director to evaluate fire hazard severity in local responsibility area and to make a recommendation to the local jurisdiction where very high Fire Hazard Severity Zones exist. The Government Code then provides direction for the local jurisdiction to take appropriate action.

How are Fire Hazard Severity Zones determined in local responsibility areas?
Answer: CAL FIRE uses an extension of the state responsibility area Fire Hazard Severity Zone model as the basis for evaluating fire hazard in local responsibility area. The local responsibility area hazard rating reflects flame and ember intrusion from adjacent wildlands and from flammable vegetation in the urban area. Scientists at the U. C. Berkeley Center for Fire Research and Outreach provided an urban fuels model that was incorporated in the hazard rating.

When will CAL FIRE recommend very high Fire Hazard Severity Zones to local agencies?
Answer: CALFIRE will prepare draft very high Fire Hazard Severity Zone recommendations for local responsibility areas during the summer of 2007. These recommendations are scheduled to reflect hazard ratings in adjacent state responsibility area zones. CAL FIRE anticipates reviewing and validating these draft local responsibility area recommendations with local agencies during the fall of 2007.

What are the requirements for landowners in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in local responsibility areas?
Answer: The exterior wildfire exposure protection codes apply to the design and construction of new buildings located in very high Fire Hazard Severity Zones in local responsibility areas. Local ordinances may require ignition resistant construction for remodel projects. Check with your local building department to determine which ignition resistant building codes apply to your project. In addition, Government Code Section 51182 calls for flammable vegetation clearance and other wildland fire safety practices for buildings. Owners are also required to make a natural hazard disclosure as part of a real estate transfer. For information regarding clearance around buildings see the Homeowners Checklist at www.fire.ca.gov.

Does the designation of Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in the local responsibility area trigger the 100 foot clearance requirement?
Answer: Yes, unless exempted by local government under specified conditions, the 100 foot clearance requirements apply.

When is the effective date for Chapter 7A of the California Building Code (CBC)?
Answer: The Building Standards Commission re-set the Local Responsibility Area (LRA) adoption date of Chapter 7A from January 1, 2008 to July 1, 2008. Contact your local agency for more detailed information on the timing of the adoption within your specific jurisdiction.
Chapter 7A became effective in State Responsibility Area (SRA) on January 1, 2008.

Will the CBC Chapter 7A effective date change to July 1, 2008, have any affect on the LRA FHSZ mapping process?
Answer: No

Can the CAL FIRE Director’s recommendation be modified by the local agency?
Answer: A local agency may increase the area designated as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VH FHSZ) following a finding supported by substantial evidence in the record that the requirements of Section 51182 are necessary for effective fire protection within the area. No provision is made in the Government Code for a local agency to reduce the area recommended for designation as a VH FHSZ.

How will updates to the map occur after the VH FHSZ is adopted by a local jurisdiction?
Answer: This is a subject of a pending information bulletin being developed by the State Fire Marshal.

After CAL FIRE transmits the officially recommended LRA VH FHSZ map to the local agency, how much time does the local agency have to make this map available for public review?
Answer: Government Code Section 51178.5 states, ”...within 30 days after receiving a transmittal from the director that identifies very high fire hazard severity zones, a local agency shall make the information available for public review. The information shall be presented in a format that is understandable and accessible to the general public, including, but not limited to, maps”

What is the CAL FIRE’s responsibility for mapping fire hazards in local responsibility jurisdictions?
Answer: CAL FIRE is required to identify VH FHSZ and to transmit this information to local agencies. CAL FIRE is also required to periodically review the recommendations.

What does the Government Code say about fire hazards in local responsibility areas?
Answer: Government Code Sections 51175 – 51189 cover fire hazards in local responsibility areas.

What is the local agency’s responsibility regarding the Director’s recommendation for VH FHSZ rating in the local responsibility area?
Answer: It is the local agency’s responsibility to make the recommendation available for public review and to designate, by ordinance, VH FHSZs in its jurisdiction.

How are LRA VH FHSZ used by local agencies?
Answer: LRA VH FHSZ maps are used to identify areas where ignition resistant building standards will be required for new construction, to identify properties requiring defensible space maintenance, and by sellers to disclose natural hazards at the time of property sale. It is strongly recommended that local governments use the LRA VH FHSZ’s as they update the safety elements of their general plans.

What is CAL FIRE doing to ensure that the LRA FHSZ map recommendations are accurate?
Answer: CAL FIRE has made draft maps available to local agencies through its website http://frap.cdf.ca.gov/projects/hazard/draft_info.html. Local agencies have had the opportunity to comment on these draft maps and have requested changes, based on supporting data. CAL FIRE is reviewing the recommended changes and is updating the LRA VH FHSZ were appropriate. Local agencies will have further opportunities for input before the Director issues a formal recommendation. CA FIRE will post a “change map” indicating how local suggestions have been processed. Links to the change maps can be found on the Fire Hazard Severity Zone Mapping web page.

What if the local entity does not have the geographic information system (GIS) capability to evaluate the draft data for FHSZ?
Answer: CAL FIRE will assist that local agency by providing GIS technical support. This support can be requested by contacting CAL FIRE’s Northern Region FHSZ Mapping Coordinator at (530) 224-2445 or Southern Region FHSZ Mapping Coordinator at (559) 222-3714.

Which law defines the roles and responsibilities of local agencies to adopt LRA VH-FHSZ?
Answer: Government Code Sections 51175 – 51182 defines the roles and responsibilities for LRA Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone adoption.
http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/downloads/GovernmentCode51175.pdf

What happens if the local jurisdiction does not adopt CAL FIRE’s recommendation?
Answer: Local jurisdictions should consult their legal counsel regarding responsibilities defined in the Government Code Sections 51175 - 51982.

When will CAL FIRE transmit the officially recommend LRA VH FHSZ maps to the local agencies?
Answer: CAL FIRE will transmit the official recommendations to local agencies between April and June, 2008.

What process is being used to develop the recommended VH FHSZ ratings in local responsibility areas?
Answer: CAL FIRE has submitted draft maps to a number of counties and over 200 cities for review. The maps show suggested LRA VH FHSZ and, for background, also indicate suggested High and Moderate FHSZ. Cities and counties are in the process of reviewing suggested FHSZ ratings and submitting their input to CAL FIRE. CAL FIRE is reviewing the proposed input and posting “change maps” and other information on the web. These change maps indicate how local suggestions have been processed. Links to the change maps can be found on the Fire Hazard Severity Zone Mapping web page.

What do the “change maps” show?
Answer: The “change maps” show information related just to LRA VH FHSZ rankings. The LRA Very High ranking is the only zone for which the law requires CAL FIRE to provide a recommendation to local government.

Can the public comment on the “change maps”?
Answer: CAL FIRE has made provisions for local agencies to comment on the maps over the web. Public questions should be directed to the local fire department or governing body.

Can local agencies obtain maps of High and Moderate FHSZ ranking?
Answer: Changes in LRA Very High ratings from the original draft map will affect the location of high and moderate rankings. At this time, CAL FIRE is not recalculating the hazard model to reflect those changes in the high and moderate hazard rankings. Local agencies can request this information. However, CAL FIRE will not be able to provide the information until after recommendations for LRA VH FHSZ are developed.

Will the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in Local Responsibility Area affect the cost and availability of fire insurance?
Answer: Insurance rates are determined by a variety of factors, including Fire Risk. Fire Risk is different from Fire Hazard. Fire Hazard is the focus of the FHSZ maps, not Fire Risk. Fire Hazard is based on factors such as fuel (material that can burn), slope and fire weather. Fire Risk considers the potential for damage based on factors such as the ability of a fire to ignite the structure, the flammability of the construction material, and mitigation measures that reduce the risk. These mitigation measures include defensible space, building design, ignition resistant building materials, and ignition resistant construction techniques.
Ultimately, it is not possible to state that insurers will ignore the limitations of the focus of FHSZ maps. However, to respond to such issues, the California Department of Insurance and CAL FIRE have established a partnership and joint commitment to protecting Californians from fire losses. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Insurance Commissioner and the Director of CAL FIRE, October, 2007 to mutually promote awareness and collaboration among fire officials, the insurance industry, and the public to prevent and mitigate fire losses.
The MOU can be found at http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/0060-2007/upload/Insurance_CDI_CALFIRE_MOU_091007TC.pdf.

What difference do the Fire Hazard Severity Zones make?
Answer: In areas designated as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, the roofing standards change. Please see the details on roofing requirements (165K PDF).

NOTES:
Government Code
51178.5.
Within 30 days after receiving a transmittal from the director that identifies very high fire hazard severity zones, a local agency shall make the information available for public review. The information shall be presented in a format that is understandable and accessible to the general public, including, but not limited to, maps.

51179.
(a) A local agency shall designate, by ordinance, very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the director pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 51178. A local agency shall be exempt from this requirement if ordinances of the local agency, adopted on or before December 31, 1992, impose standards that are equivalent to, or more restrictive than, the standards imposed by this chapter.

The Carmel Pine Cone, New fire code bans wood roofs, siding in new homes, MARY BROWNFIELD, July 25, 2008.

Class A roof coverings
Common 'stand alone' Class A roof coverings include -
1. Asphalt composition ('3-tab') shingles
2. Clay tiles
3. Concrete tiles
4. Slate

Power Point Presentation: Fire Ratings for Roofs