Community Wildfire Protection Plan
(CWPP)
Third Annual Report
City Council Meeting
January 30, 2024
Paul Lowenthal
Fire Marshal, Fire Department
1 CWPP Purpose
• The purpose of the Community Wildfire
Protection 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
awarded
• 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 + grants
• $250K for new CWPP in 2025
• First annual report end of 2021
• Delayed second annual report for new council
• 5-year plan - 2025
3 Nine Objectives & Forty-Six Actionable Items
4 Improve Coordination & Tracking
4 Action Items Identified
• Developed and maintained a GIS database to track
vegetation management activities
• Coordinate with property owners, open space
management associations and homeowner associations
to track large scopes of work
• Maps of grazing activities
• Provide support to property owners, open space
management 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
• Supported proposed changes to IPM Policy for use of
naturally based herbicides
• Invasive growth & seasonal grasses
• New Vegetation Management Ordinance to address
impacts of:
• Fire damaged trees on right of ways/evacuation routes • Removal of Scotch Broom
• Identified property owners to perform fuel reduction
• Awarded HMGP for Fuel Reduction along Evacuation
Routes – $2.1 Million (Cost Share of 25%)
• Phase 1 wrapping up (opt residents in)
• Phase 2 in 2024
7 8
Improve Evacuation Routes
6 Action Items Identified
Educating the Public
9 Action Items Identified
• Successful WildfireReady event at Finley Community
Center – Funding for 3 years
• Creating new content and materials
• HCD-MIT-PPS awarded $500,000
• Increased education to residents on defensible space, fire safe landscaping, home hardening, evacuation and
preparedness
• One-on-one, neighborhood meetings, Wildfire Ready, City Connections
• Maintaining website and keeping it current for
everything wildfire ready related.
• srcity.org/WildfireReady and srcity.org/ReadySR
9 Educating the Public
10 Educating the Public
11 Educating the Public
12 Improve Wildfire Preparedness
5 Action Items Identified
• Working to increase the number of City residents active in COPE (Citizens Organized & Prepared for Emergencies)
• Map Your Neighborhood
• Future opportunities
• Continuing to foster and maintain relationship with
LISTOS/COAD
• Community Outreach and Emergency Management
• Spanish NOAA Weather Radios, bilingual materials, targeted events.
• Develop a program to address evacuation of vulnerable populations
• Oakmont (Evac Planning, COPE, Map Your Neighborhood)
• Spring Lake Villages
13 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
inspections/assessments for home hardening and defensible space
• Approval of Phase 1 for HMGP for $2.1 million for a Wildland- Urban Interface Fuel Modification Program
• Includes retrofits – Vent screens and gutter guards
• 25% cost share 14
Treat Vegetation to Reduce Hazard
6 Action Items Identified
• Utilized balance of 21/22 FY funds from Fire Department Weed Abatement and Vegetation Management Program to accomplish projects.
• Fountaingrove Parkway
• Lower Skyhawk Open Space
• Working with HOA on fuel treatment within compartments identified 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 and SAC
15 Treat Vegetation to Reduce Hazard
16 Treat Vegetation to Reduce Hazard
17 Improve Enforcement of Defensible
Space Standards
7 Action Items Identified
• Code adoption priority in 2022, new Vegetation ordinance projected for 2023
• Burn scar fuels, dead trees, ban on specific mulches, defensible space zones, pile burning, etc.
• Develop fire safe landscape standards
• Fire Station 7 demo garden
• Developed inspection program
• Phase 1 – Education and voluntary Assessments
• In progress with existing staff, full staffing projected early 2023. • Phase 2 – Inspection Program (2 years)
• Phase 3 – Enforcement Program
18 Increase Staffing to Address
Wildfire Mitigation
1 Action Item Identified
• 43% of the community surveyed during the development
of the CWPP didn’t feel there was enough staffing. 74%
supported increase in staffing.
• Restructured Assistant Fire Marshals and added three
limited term positions.
• Working to recruit second limited term fire inspector position.
• 2 limited term Fire Inspector
• Unable to recruit for Building Plans Examiner, changed to Limited Term Community Outreach Specialist
19 Consider Expanding the WUI
2 Action Items Identified
• Based on feedback of the community, the existing Wildland Urban Interface Fire Area for the City of Santa Rosa was examined.
• Coffey Park
• Staff determined that the current areas outside of the existing WUI do not meeting the intention of the designation.
• Unintended consequences
• December 14, 2022, CAL FIRE released new SRA maps of the Fire Hazard Severity Zones
• Bennett Valley, Kawana Springs Road, Fountaingrove and Oakmont 20 Consider Expanding the WUI
2 Action Items Identified
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 Next Priorities
• Fire Department to form a working group to coordinate conflicting 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
species.
• Additional staffing to support HMGP and HCD grant
implementation
• Conduct visible projects
• Support partnership with Fire Safe Sonoma
• Finalize partnership with Santa Rosa Junior College
25 QUESTIONS?
26