Message from the State Fire Marshal:

CA WUI Fire Safety Partners - Thank you for being involved and interested in one of the most significant efforts California has undertaken to reduce the threat to our homes from wildfire. The combination of ignition-resistant building standards and defensible space is a proven way to increase your home’s survival from both the flames and embers of an approaching wildfire. The Angora Fire in Lake Tahoe has once again proven that working with the vegetation alone is not enough to protect homes from the embers that travel in advance of a large fire.

The rollout of new Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps is now halfway through the process. We have concluded public hearings for the State Responsibility Area maps in 56 counties and are now processing those public comments and revised maps toward their full adoption this fall. A 15-Day Notice of Modifications to Proposed Regulation was issued last week. That document is the review and notification process for changes to the state responsibility area maps CAL FIRE made based on comments received during the hearing phase.

Drafts of the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps for Local Responsibility Areas are currently being posted on the CAL FIRE website in GIS format. The drafts will be used as working documents in coordinating with the local agencies through November. Formal recommendations are anticipated for next winter and spring 2008. Local government agencies will seek comment from the communities they serve through their local ordinance process. Information on the Local Responsibility Area part of our effort will be posted to our website at www.fire.ca.gov/wildland.php .

Implementation of the Wildland-Urban Interface Building Standards is now scheduled for January 1, 2008 in the State Responsibility Area, and July 1, 2008 in the Local Responsibility Area. A series of training courses has been developed to provide detailed information on the new wildland-urban interface building standards to building officials, fire officials, planners, building materials manufacturers, developers, architects engineers and other building professionals.

Overall, we are moving rapidly toward a more comprehensive way of addressing our wildfire threat in California. Please continue to watch the CAL FIRE Wildland Hazard & Building Codes webpage for updates and information.

Kate Dargan
California State Fire Marshal