To: Board of Directors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: Report on CAL FIRE Subdivision Review Program, Fire Hazard Severity Zone Program, and Wildfire Risk Mitigation and Potential Insurance Impacts
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
RECEIVE a report on CAL FIRE Subdivision Review Program, Fire Hazard Severity Zone Program, and Wildfire Risk Mitigation and Potential Insurance Impacts.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with receiving this report.
BACKGROUND:
Pursuant to legislation passed in 2018 (AB 2911), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Board of Forestry were charged with carrying out the identification of subdivisions, located in State Responsibility Areas or very high fire hazard severity zones in the Local Responsibility Area, with more than 30 dwelling units where there is only one means of egress, or egress roadway, from the subdivision. There were more than 30 subdivisions identified in Contra Costa County. The Board of Forestry ultimately reviewed these subdivisions and published recommendations for mitigating risks for each of the identified subdivisions.
In 2007, CAL FIRE published the initial set of fire hazard severity zone maps. The first revision, on a statewide basis, is still in process with the State Responsibility Areas having been finalized in early 2024 and the Local Responsibility Area review and publication still pending. The determination of fire hazard rating with these maps has impacts related to certain development issues, general plans of cities and counties, as well as building and fire code regulations.
Wildfire risk mitigation efforts vary from individual property specific mitigations up to community-wide programs to reduce the potential for property and life loss in the event of a wildfire. Many strategies are now being discussed as a means to influence risk based underwriting decisions and reduce policy cancellations by property insurance providers. Fire Chief Dave Winnacker of the Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District will discuss these concepts and the challenges faced in the current property insurance and wildfire mitigation environment.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the board does not receive the report they will not have the latest updates on these important regulatory issues.