Experts Single Out Paradise for Divine Planning; Express Concerns for San Diego and Madera Counties

California communities facing high wildfire risks have taken critical steps toward prevention, but still face persistent dangers caused by faulty infrastructure, lack of both planning and resource coordination and natural conditions, a poll of fire experts has found.

The survey, conducted on behalf of the California Fire Safe Council by the Insurance Information Network of California, compared 11 communities that face persistent fire dangers for coordinated planning, community involvement, natural conditions, evacuation routes, building codes and other factors affecting regional fire safety. The panel, representing five agencies of the California Fire Alliance, found that the regions must involve both the public and multiple agencies in fire planning in order to trump natural hazards.

“The rains have merely postponed the inevitable fires that will hit California, but preparedness and planning cannot be postponed,” said Fire Safe Council Chairman and CEO Bruce Turbeville.

The survey singled out the Northern California region of Paradise for aggressive brushfire planning that has already proven itself effective. Panelists praised the region’s strong coordination between community planning groups and local firefighting agencies, including incorporating a community fire plan into the California Department of Forestry’s own fire safety plan.

The group also cited the region’s aggressive fuel suppression projects, including a large fire break that helped prevent the spread of a brushfire that could have caused millions of dollars of damage to the community.

“Paradise is doing the work on the ground, not just planning,” said one panelist. “It’s what we like to see.”

On the other end of the scale, Madera and Mariposa counties are in the early stages of fire prevention, and face a number of natural hazards that complicate the process. Tree die-off from disease has increased the fuel load in the region, and fire evacuation is complicated by the area’s natural bowl shape and lack of roads, panelists said.

While making improvements since last year’s catastrophic wildfires, San Diego County still faces considerable challenges, particularly in the coordination of fire planning and resources, panelists said.

While the southern-most California county has made “giant strides” by creating 10 new local Fire Safe Councils, the region still “has a gazillion fire districts” and “multiple agencies with individual agendas,” panelists said.

Several panelists expressed concern that fire would become an out-of-sight, out-of-mind issue because so much of the county burned in 2003, despite the fact that wildfires often repeat themselves. “I went to the same fire in 1970,” said one evaluator, a retired firefighter. “They must reduce fuel loads,” said another. “If you live in the wildland, you’re going to live with fire.”

The survey provided recommendations for enhancing regional fire safety, and also raised questions about approaches to fire preparedness. While some communities publicize evacuation plans, others shy away from public promotion for fear of litigation should evacuation efforts fail, the panel noted. And the relatively new community of Stevenson Ranch raised the question: When do citizens get involved when the community has been fire safe from the ground up?

While several panelists expressed high praise for Stevenson Ranch’s successful building standards -- which are largely credited with protecting the community from the 2003 wildfires -- one panelist cautioned that the area may set itself up for future problems if it does not improve community involvement in fire planning. “The fire department is doing most of the work,” the panelist said.

However, the community was also praised as a model for other newly developed neighborhoods.

“Uniquely, this community can serve as an example in progressive fire preparedness,” said one evaluator.

The regions surveyed included Redding, Paradise, Placer/El Dorado, Lake Tahoe, Oakland Hills, Madera/Mariposa, Stevenson Ranch, Topanga/Malibu, Lake Arrowhead, Laguna Beach and San Diego.

“Each of these regions has sustained historic fires at some point, and continues to face natural challenges that will put them at risk for catastrophic fire in the future,” said IINC Executive Director Candysse Miller. “They also represent a cross-section of California’s eclectic and widespread wildfire danger zones.”

The study serves as a barometer on coordinated wildfire planning efforts across California, and focused on regions that have faced some of the state’s most catastrophic wildfires.

It was conducted in two tiers. IINC first interviewed local fire officials and Fire Safe Council representatives in each of the regions, seeking details of the areas’ natural fuel loads, local building standards, fire regulations, availability of firefighting resources, development levels, natural conditions, road access, coordinated planning and community involvement through Fire Safe Councils. The results were then presented to a panel of experts from the California Fire Alliance, an interagency forum dedicated to the support of pre-fire principles and activities for public and community safety, for review and analysis.

Agencies represented on the panel included the California Department of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the California Fire Safe Council.

Comprised of more than 50 public and private organizations, the Fire Safe Council seeks to preserve California's natural and manmade resources by mobilizing all Californians to make their homes, neighborhoods and communities fire safe. There are more than 130 local Fire Safe Councils across California.

IINC is a non-profit, non-lobbying insurance trade association dedicated to helping consumers understand insurance and safety issues.

For more information on the project, please contact IINC at (800) 397-1679. For additional information on wildfire planning, please visit the IINC website at www.iinc.org, the Fire Safe Council website at http://www.firesafecouncil.org/ or the California Fire Alliance at http://www.cafirealliance.org./