The first focus of the plan is on “defensible space,” which refers to the amount of vegetation surrounding a structure in a high-risk area. The department has already implemented its plan to increase fire safety and awareness in rural high-risk areas. When those layers are overlapped with one another, they sometimes produce odd results.”įerreira said Cal Fire will be working with local agencies in urban high-risk areas to better prepare them for fire emergencies.
“Fuel densities, weather patterns - there are so many layers. “The maps are composed of so many variables,” said Cal Fire Regional fire Chief John Ferreira. Though the maps make clear that several communities in the county are at a very high risk forwildfires, Sapsis noted that the maps are preliminary, and could change after further scrutiny and review. Fire weather describes the conditions, including air temperature and humidity, that contribute to the spread of wildfires.
Slope, or topography, is important as well, because fires tend to burn faster on steep hills. Sapsis said the amount of fuel, or potentially flammable vegetation, is a major factor in determining high-risk areas. “The scoring routine is driven by slope, fuel type, and fire weather.” “When designing the maps, we look at the worst-case scenarios involving fuels and assign a fuel model,” said Dave Sapsis, Cal Fire’s senior fire scientist. We had to have our fan systems checked they basically told us what to do.” “When we were remodeling our roof, we were told that it had to be fire-retardant,” Asberry recalled. Susan Asberry, a 14-year Hillsborough resident, discovered that fire safety was an issue when she remodeled her house 10 years ago. Final versions of the maps, which detail areas in need of new state-mandated fire-protection standards, are tentatively scheduled for release in early March. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, now known as Cal Fire, has released preliminary fire-hazard maps for all of California, including San Mateo County. “I’m surprised nobody … has told us anything.”
“I never heard that this place was at risk,” said Gina Roh, aģ0-year resident of heavily-wooded Hillsborough. Fire-hazard maps released this month by state fire officials identify areas of Hillsborough, Belmont, San Carlos and Redwood City as having a very high risk of fires - which is news to many residents.
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