Item Number: 1
City Council / Board of Directors
Public Hearing
Meeting of: May 20, 2025
Submitted By:
Joe Slegers, Building Official
Subject:
An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Victorville adopting the Local Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map as required by California Government Code Section 51178 Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council:
(1) Open and conduct a Public Hearing to receive public testimony; (2) Close the Public Hearing;
(3) Find and designate the Local Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map necessary pursuant to California Government Code Section 51178;
(4) Introduce Ordinance No. 2455 for adoption, first reading by title only, to adopt the Local Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map;
(5) Waive a further reading in full of proposed Ordinance No. 2455; and (6) Adopt the Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map and Ordinance without amendment.
Fiscal Impact:
Adopting the Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map does not result in a direct fiscal impact to the City; however, developers and builders may have increased construction costs associated with the increased building code requirements in the moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Approval of Ordinance No. 2455 (Attachment A) will enable the City to further fulfill the following Goals outlined in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan:
•Goal B (Public Safety) – The adoption of the Local Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map will enhance fire resistance of new construction and decrease the likelihood of fires due to ember casting for new construction in the designated zones, decreasing the risk to the community.
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Background:
The Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map was created due to several major fires occurring in California, causing significant loss of life and property, as illustrated in the Local Responsibility Area Legislation Factsheet (Attachment C). In 1980, the Panorama Fire burned 28,800 acres, destroying 325 homes, resulting in 4 fatalities. In 1982, Public Resources Code 4201 mandated CAL FIRE to develop Fire Hazard Severity Zones, which were then created in 1985. In 1991, the Tunnel Fire burned 1,600 acres and destroyed 2,900 structures, resulting in 25 fatalities. In 1992, the “Bates Bill” required CAL FIRE to identify “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones”. CAL FIRE finalized statewide severity zones designated as “Very High” in 2007. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire burned 36,810 acres, destroying 5,643 structures, resulting in 22 fatalities, and in 2018, the Camp Fire burned 153,336 acres, destroying 18,804 structures, resulting in 85 fatalities. In 2021, AB 642 and SB 63 required CAL FIRE to identify “Moderate” and “High” Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas (areas such as incorporated cities, not under direct control of the State). In 2022, AB 211 required local agencies to designate by ordinance both “Moderate” and “High” Fire Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas.
Government Code Section 51178, as a requirement of SB 63, states that the State Fire Marshal shall identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. Moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones shall be based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other relevant factors, including areas where winds have been identified by the Office of the State Fire Marshal as a major cause of wildfire spread. Government Code Section 51179(a) requires the adoption of all three (3) Fire Hazard Severity Zone classes in the jurisdiction's Local Responsibility Area (LRA).
Pursuant to Public Resource Code 4202, the State Fire Marshal shall classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones. Previously, only Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones were required for adoption in LRAs, which is why the City of Victorville did not have any previously adopted Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps. Each zone is based on current and historical fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other present relevant factors, including areas where winds have been identified by the department as a major cause of wildfire spread through “Ember Casting”.
The City of Victorville was notified on March 24, 2025, of the required map changes, and ordinance adoption timelines, as part of the “Phase 4” Rollout plan. Each Local Responsibility Area has 120 days from the time of notification to adopt the Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map by ordinance.
Discussion:
The proposed map adoption includes updates to the zones of the City of Victorville listed as “Moderate”, “High”, and “Very high” in regard to fire hazard severity and is briefly described as follows:
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•The Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps are developed using a science- based and field-tested model that assigns a hazard score based on the factors that influence fire likelihood and fire behavior. Many factors are considered, such as fire history, existing and potential fuel (natural vegetation), predicted flame length, blowing embers, terrain, and typical fire weather for the area. •Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps evaluate “hazard”, not “risk”. They are like flood zone maps, where lands are described in terms of the probability level of a particular area being inundated by floodwaters, and not specifically prescriptive of impacts.
•“Hazard” is based on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30 to 50-year period without considering mitigation measures such as home hardening, recent wildfire, or fuel reduction efforts. •“Risk” is the potential damage a fire can do to the area under existing conditions, accounting for any modifications such as fuel reduction projects, defensible space, and ignition-resistant building construction. These risks are primarily based upon how embers from active fires impact the surrounding vegetation called “ember- cast” modeling.
•Pursuant to California Government Code Section 51178 the City is required to adopt the recommendations of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (currently known as CAL FIRE) to designate local fire hazard severity zones by ordinance as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal.
•A local agency shall not decrease the level of fire hazard severity zone, as identified by the State Fire Marshal, for any area within the jurisdiction of the local agency. The local agency may only increase the level of fire hazard severity zone as identified by the State Fire Marshal for any area within the jurisdiction of the local agency.
•CAL FIRE’s direction at this time is that California’s Wildland Urban Interface building codes (California Building Code - Chapter 7A and California Residential Code Section R337) will apply to the design and construction of NEW buildings located in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas as of January 1, 2026. This will coincide with the adoption of triennial Title 24 codes, which will be adopted and become effective on the same date. Under the current code, only structures in the “Very High” zones must comply, and Victorville does not contain any areas with this designation. These sections of code address items intended to provide a higher level of fire resistance, such as enclosed eaves, Class-A non-combustible roofing, non-combustible siding, double-pane windows, and defensible spacing.
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•Insurance rates are not expected to be directly affected by the adoption of the FHSZ Map (reference Attachment B). Insurance companies use their own risk models, which differ from hazard models, because they consider the susceptibility of a structure to damage from fire and other short-term factors that are not included in hazard modeling.
•It is unlikely that insurance risk models specifically call out CAL FIRE- Fire Hazard Severity Zones as a factor, but much of the same data that is used in the fire hazard severity zone models is likely included in the insurance companies’ risk models.
However, insurance risk models incorporate many additional factors, and other factors that change more frequently than those that CAL FIRE includes in its hazard mapping, which is built to remain steady for the next 10+ years.
Staff is available for any questions the Council may have.
Attachments: A. Draft Ordinance No. 2455
B. Q&A from the California Department of Insurance
C. Local Responsibility Area (LRA) Legislation Factsheet