Community Wildfire Protection Plan
(CWPP)
Second Annual Report
City Council Meeting
January 10, 2023
Paul Lowenthal
Fire Marshal, Fire Department
1 CWPP Purpose
• The purpose of the Community Wildfire
Pr
otection Plan (CWPP) is to enhance
protection of human life safety and reduce
the wildfire threat to community assets
such as homes, commercial structures,
critical infrastructure, businesses, and
natural and historic resources within the
City of Santa Rosa
.
2 CWPP History
• First CWPP for Santa Rosa funded through HMGP
a
warded
• Development of CWPP initiated April 2019
• Final plan approved by Council August 25, 2020
• Glass Fire September 27, 2020
• Council approved $5.25 million in 2021
• 5 years of funding
• $250K for new CWPP in 2025
• First annual report end of 2021
• Delayed second annual report for new council
• 5-y ear plan - 2025
3 Nine Objectives & Forty-six Actionable Items
4 Improve Coordination & Tracking
4 Action Items Identified
• Developed a GIS database to track vegetation
m
anagement activities and keeping it updated.
• Coordinate with property owners, open space
man
agement associations and homeowner associations
to track large scopes of work
• Maps of grazing activities
• Provide support to property owners, open space
man
agement associations and homeowner associations
to assist in treatment design, maintenance and funding
sources
• Alta Vista HOA, OSMA, OVA
5 Improve Evacuation Routes
6 Action Items Identified
• Investigate use of use of naturally based herbicides
• Invasive growth
• Address impacts of fire damaged trees on routes
• Vegetation Management Ordinance
• Roadside fuels (burned trees) in burn scars (2023)
• Identify property owners and perform fuel reduction
• Awarded HMGP for Fuel Reduction Along Evacuation
Ro
utes – $2.1 Million (Cost Share of 25%)
• Phase 1 in progress (opt residents in)
• Phase 2 in late 2023
7 8
Improve Evacuation Routes
6 Action Items Identified
Educating the Public
9 Action Items Identified
• Increased education to residents on defensible space, fi
re safe landscaping, home hardening, evacuation and
preparedness
• One on one, neighborhood meetings, Wildfire Ready, City C
onnections
• Redesigned website and keeping it current to better
o
rganize everything wildfire ready related.
• srcity.org/W ildfireReady and srcity.org/ReadySR
• Creating new content and materials
• HCD- MIT-PPS awarded $500,000
• Evacuation drills and education
• Spring Lake Villages, OVA, Fountaingrove
9 Educating the Public
10 Educating the Public
11 Educating the Public
12 Educating the Public
2022 OUTREACH PLAN:
WILDFIRE SEASON PREPAREDNESS
• Declaring start and end of Fire Season
• News Release, Nix le and social media content
• City Connections
• Radio PSA
• Weed Abatement
• Wildfire Awareness
• Emergency Preparedness
13 Improve Wildfire Preparedness
5 Action Items Identified
• Working to increase the number of City residents active in C
OPE (Citizens Organized & Prepared for Emergencies)
• Future opportunities or Neighborhood Fest
• Continuing to foster and maintain relationship with
L
ISTOS/COAD
• Community Outreach and Emergency Management
• Spanish NOAA Weather Radios
• Develop a program to address evacuation of vulnerable p
opulations
• Oakmont (COPE and Map Your Neighborhood)
• Spring Lake Villages
14 Increase Structural Hardening
6 Action Items Identified
• Ignition Free Zone for new homes permitted after January 1st, 2023 (previous code cycle as well)
• 3’-5’ free of vegetation, organic and combustible groundcover and mulch, etc.
• Noncombustible materials for gates against homes
• Fire Inspector(s) assigned to conduct voluntary home
i
nspections/assessments for home hardening and defensible space
• Approval of Phase 1 for HMGP for $2.1 million for a Wildland- U
rban Interface Fuel Modification Program
• Includes retrofits – V ent screens and gutter guards
• 25% cost share 15
Treat Vegetation to Reduce Hazard
6 Action Items Identified
• Utilized balance of 21/22 FY funds from Fire Department Weed A
batement and Vegetation Management Program to accomplish projects.
• Fountaingrove Parkway
• Lower Skyhawk Open Space
• Working with HOA on fuel treatment within compartments i
dentified in CWPP and applicable methods in common HOA areas • First prescribed fire on Old Redwood Highway, 9.8 acres. • Santa Rosa Junior College, Conservation Corps of the North Bay a
nd SAC
16 Treat Vegetation to Reduce Hazard
17 Treat Vegetation to Reduce Hazard
18 Improve Enforcement of Defensible
Space Standards
7 Action Items Identified
• Code adoption priority in 2022, new Vegetation ordinance p
rojected for 2023
• Burn scar fuels, dead trees, ban on specific mulches, d
efensible space zones, pile burning, etc.
• Develop fire safe landscape standards
• Fire Station 7 demo garden
• Developed inspection program
• Phase 1 – E ducation and voluntary Assessments
• In progress with existing staff, full staffing projected early 2023. • Phase 2 – In spection Program (2 years)
• Phase 3 – En forcement Program
19 Increase Staffing to Address
Wildfire Mitigation
1 Action Item Identified
• 43% of the community surveyed during the development
o
f the CWPP didn’t feel there was enough staffing. 74%
supported increase in staffing.
• Restructured Assistant Fire Marshals and added three
limit
ed term positions.
• Working to recruit second limited term fire inspector po
sition.
• 2 limited term Fire Inspector
• Unable to recruit for Building Plans Examiner, changed to L
imited Term Community Outreach Specialist
20 Consider Expanding the WUI
2 Action Items Identified
• Based on feedback of the community, the existing Wildland U
rban Interface Fire Area for the City of Santa Rosa was examined.
• Coffey Park
• Staff determined that the current areas outside of the existing W
UI do not meeting the intention of the designation.
• Unintended consequences
• December 14, 2022, CAL FIRE released new SRA maps of the Fire Ha
zard Severity Zones
• Bennett Valley, Kawana Springs Road, Fountaingrove and Oakmont 21 Consider Expanding the WUI
2 Action Items Identified
22 Consider Expanding the WUI
2 Action Items Identified
23 Consider Expanding the WUI
2 Action Items Identified
24 Consider Expanding the WUI
2 Action Items Identified
25 Next Priorities
• Fire Department to form a working group to coordinate c
onflicting requirements and or future needs between
Vegetation Management Ordinance and Tree
Ordinance, Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance and
any other regulations locally.
• Investigate the use of herbicides to treat invasive
s
pecies.
• Additional staffing to support HMGP and HCD grant
i
mplementation
• Conduct visible projects
• Support partnership with Fire Safe Sonoma
• Finalize partnership with Santa Rosa Junior College
26 QUESTIONS?
27