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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES CC 2004 2202 2004 0602RESOLUTION NO. 2004 -2202 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING A POLICY STATEMENT ON "WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE FIRES: A COLLABORATIVE PLAN TO DECREASE IMPACTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY" WHEREAS, the City of Moorpark recognizes that the wildland fire problem is an issue of statewide significance; and WHEREAS, extreme fire events such as the October 2003 Southern California fires will happen again unless improvements are made in fuel management, land use policies, and fire safe building standards to protect lives, structures, infrastructure, watershed, parklands, and other vital community assets; and WHEREAS, the executive boards of the League of California Cities (herein referred to as the "League ") and the California State Association of Counties (herein referred to as "CSAC ") have unanimously adopted the attached Policy Statement on " Wildland Urban Interface Fires: A Collaborative Plan to Decrease Impacts on Public Health and Safety "; and WHEREAS, this policy statement is a call to action to create a stronger defensive strategy for dealing with the wildland fire threat, involving a collaborative analysis of fuel management, land use, and building standard concerns associated with living in and near the wildland; and WHEREAS, the League and CSAC will identify a team of local officials to join with state officials to lead a task force of community planners, environmental agencies, housing and economic development specialists, fire service representatives, law enforcement, business, and the insurance industry to implement this defensive strategy; and WHEREAS, the League and CSAC have asked cities, counties, fire districts, environmental groups, and other stakeholders to support this policy statement, which is consistent with the Governor's Blue Ribbon Fire Commission recommendations. Resolution No. 2004 -2202 Page 2 NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOORPARK DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The City of Moorpark supports the Policy Statement on "Wildland Urban Interface Fires: A Collaborative Plan to Decrease Impacts on Public Health and Safety" and encourages the League and CSAC to seek implementation of this defensive strategy. SECTION 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution and shall cause a er ' ied resolution to be filed in the book of original res utions. PASSED AND ADOPTED thAs 2nd day Vf June, X04. rick Hu—n-0-jr, mayor ATTEST: Deborah S. Traffenste t, City Cler Attachment: Policy Statement on Wildland Urban Interface Fires Resolution No. 2004 -2202 Page 3 LEAGUE OF C 1 T E S League of California Cities 1400 K Street, 4th Floor Sacramento, CA 95814 California State Association of Counties 1100 K Street, Suite 101 Sacramento, CA 95814 Wildland Urban Interface Fires A Collaborative Plan to Decrease Impacts on Public Health and Safety (Adopted February 2004) The League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties recognize the need for multi jurisdictional and multi- agency coordination, collaboration and communication to standardize and improve pre -fire mitigations, prevention and response to any fire hazard in the forest, rangeland, watershed, wildland urban interface /intermix and open space in the State of California. The League and CSAC will aggressively work with all levels of government by: a) acting as a clearinghouse for local government regarding their experiences in dealing with conflicting government regulations that have made wildland mitigation efforts difficult or impossible, and to forward said information to our State legislature so they may begin to understand the problem; b) consider legislation that will expedite the adoption of state -wide wildland urban interface construction development standards; and c) co- sponsor public forums to discuss the adoption of future legislation, such as Oregon's Forestland -Urban Interface Fire Protection Act. The ultimate goal will be a systemic solution to California wildland fires and to ensure that the devastation created by past fires will remain a part of California's history, rather than its future. Ron Loveridge, Mayor, Riverside President, League of California Cities Chris McKenzie, Executive Director League of California Cities Paul Stein, Supervisor, Calaveras County President, California State Association of Counties Steven C. Szalay, Executive Director California State Association of Counties Resolution No. 2004 -2202 Page 4 Supporting Documentation I. League and CSAC Objectives A call to action: Catastrophic wildfires are one of the most significant threats to communities, forests, and wildlands in California today. To address this threat, we propose the formation of a partnership between the League of California Cities (League), California State Association of Counties (CSAC), the State and federal governments to cooperate, collaborate, and communicate in the development of better land use policies and wildland fuel management programs to resolve issues associated with wildland urban interface fires. Adoption of this Policy Statement indicates CSAC's and the League's desire to join a Task Team of City, County and State representatives that will develop strategy and call for action to create better local ordinances to improve land use regulation and fuels management policies for wildland fire protection concerns in and around cities and urbanized rural communities. II. The Problems We Face Californians are all too familiar with the serious impacts and devastating effects of fire in the forest, rangeland, watershed and open space in and near urban settings. The recent catastrophic fires that burned throughout Southern California in October and November 2003 provide a sobering look at the impacts fires have on public health and safety —jobs are lost, businesses and schools are impacted, infrastructure and environmental damages occur, and in the wildland intermix/interface (suburbs to the wildland) areas, lives, property and natural resources are threatened and often destroyed. These impacts leave citizens and government agencies faced with growing costs and losses from fire in the intermix and interface (see definitions on last page). Four key factors contribute to this major problem: A. Population Growth. California's population growth continues to migrate into highly flammable (wildland interface or intermix) and high fire hazard zones. Homes are built on fuel- loaded (trees and vegetation) slopes with minimum defensible space against wild fires. Local government must ensure that growth is prudent, responsible and limits risk, to an acceptable level, and that development meets Fire Safe Standards for both residents and the fire service. B. Increased Fuels. Continued wildland fuel loading, higher tree density, and dead and dying trees due to insects and disease make fuel issues massive in scale. According to fire professionals and land managers, about 4 million acres of private land and 39 million acres of federal land are at risk and have the potential to burn catastrophically. Resolution No. 2004 -2202 Page 5 C. Vegetation Management. To comply with environmental and regulatory agency requirements, fire professionals and land managers have increasing difficulty in conducting vegetation, watershed and forest management activities and programs. A large aspect of this is the decreased use of mechanical methods and prescribed fires for the removal of wildland fuels. The fire service and local, state and federal agencies must work together on responsible and effective vegetation management plans. D. Increased Costs Associated with Fire Suppression. Both the increasing frequency of large damaging catastrophic wildland fires and the ever - increasing suppression costs and damages caused by these fires can be significantly reduced by: a) local government policies, zoning, land use controls and building construction methods consistent with the tenets of the International Urban Wildland Interface Code; and b) with an aggressive vegetation fuels management program in these high -risk wildland fire areas. III. Definitions Catastrophic Fire — A wildland or wildland urban interface fire with a fast moving front, extending over a large area (300+ acres) and/or highly destructive to lives, property or natural resources. Defensible Space — That area which lies between a house and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat, and in which firefighters can safely establish themselves to defend a structure. Fuel — Combustible structures and wildland vegetative materials. Includes dead plants, parts of living plants, duff, and other accumulations of flammable vegetation. Fuels Mana e� — The practice of planning and executive manipulation or reduction of fuels to obtain conditions which permit protection forces to meet fire suppression objectives. Highly Flammable Fuels — Zones designated by CDF (or other fire agencies) as having specific characteristics — e.g., fuel loading, slope and topography, fire weather, and other relevant factors — that would allow a fire to become uncontrollable. Natural Resources — A necessary or beneficial material source — such as timber, minerals, water, and grazing area — occurring in nature that has a value in human commerce. Pre -Fire Mitigation — Prior to wildland fire ignition a systematic application of risk assessment, fire safety, fire prevention, and fire hazard reduction techniques to reduce wildland fires, damages and cost of suppression. Prescribed Fire — a fire with a "prescription," burning within a range of predetermined conditions (such as fuel moisture content, weather conditions, etc.) that will keep it controllable, at low intensity, and able to achieve its stated objectives. Resolution No. 2004 -2202 Page 6 Sloe - A piece of ground that is not flat or level, it may rise or fall in percent; where one percent of slope means a rise or fall of one foot of elevation within a distance of 100 fee, thus 45% would equal 45 feet of rise in 100-feet. Risk - the likelihood of wildfire ignition normally the result or activities of people. Wildland - An area in which development is essentially non - existent, except for power lines, roads, railroads, and similar transportation facilities. Structures, if any, are widely scattered and are primarily for recreational purposes. Includes large cattle ranches and forests managed for timber production. Wildland Interface - The geographical meeting point of two diverse systems, wildland and structures. At this interface, structures and vegetation are sufficiently close that a wildland fire could spread to structures or a structure fire could ignite vegetation. Wildland Intermix - Interspersing of developed land with wildland, where there are no easily discernible boundaries between the two systems. Poses more problems in wildland fire management than interface. Resolution No. 2004 -2202 Page 7 STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF VENTURA ) ss. CITY OF MOORPARK ) I, Deborah S. Traffenstedt, City Clerk of the City of Moorpark, California, do hereby certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing Resolution No. 2004 -2202 adopted by the City Council of the City of Moorpark at a regular meeting held on the 2nd of June, 2004, and that the same was adopted by the following vote: AYES: Councilmembers Harper, Mikos, Millhouse, Parvin and Mayor Hunter NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None WITNESS my hand and the official seal of said City this 10th of June, 2004. Deborah S. Traffenstedt, City Clerk (seal)