SANDAG agrees to pursue wider assault on excess brush
By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer
Officials seek compromise with wildlife agencies | ∞
The ruins of a home along 3rd Place in the unincorporated community of Del Dios, pictured Friday, bear witness to the ferocity of the Witch Creek fire in October. On Friday, regional leaders on the San Diego Association of Governments board agreed to press federal officials for more flexibility in defending properties against wildfire, especially in clearing brush before the flames flash over the ridgelines.
DON BOOMER Staff Photographer
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SAN DIEGO -- Hoping to limit the threat posed by disastrous wildfires, regional officials decided Friday to seek federal authorization to clear a greater amount of vegetation around homes and to regularly thin backcountry brush.
Prompted by the mayor of Poway, whose city lost 90 homes to October's Witch Creek fire, the San Diego Association of Governments' board voted 19-0 to direct its regional planning committee to open talks with federal and state wildlife agencies on the matter early next year.
Approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies would be required for a vegetation thinning program because many plants elected officials want to cut back provide habitat for imperiled species.
And San Diego County, as a result of its diverse coastal, inland valley, mountain and desert landscapes, is home to more endangered animals and plants than any other county in the nation.
Poway Mayor Mickey Cafagna told his colleagues on the board that something needs to be done in the wake of the second disastrous wave of wildfires in just four years.
"These fires are not over," he said. "We're going to see them again."
A letter Cafagna wrote Nov. 15 prompted Friday's board discussion.
He wrote, "Obviously, a balance must be struck. But I believe that we need to engage the federal and state agencies in a dialogue about how we might modify the requirements to enhance fire protection in San Diego County."
Several elected officials on the panel agreed that some sort of regional vegetation thinning program should be pursued in a bid to limit the breadth of the next firestorm. They referred to the suggestion of some scientists that regular thinning and controlled burning could produce a patchwork of older and younger chaparral, making it less likely that another conflagration would spread all the way from the desert to the coast.
At the same time, said board member Crystal Crawford, a Del Mar councilwoman, the region must balance any program against impacts on the environment.
A county report recently found that half of lands already in or targeted for wildlife reserves burned in October. And Crawford said that as a result, the blazes could have compromised the region's efforts to preserve its diverse but fragile inventory of endangered species.
The October fires torched 368,316 acres and destroyed 1,751 homes and businesses in San Diego County, according to county reports. The biggest of them, the 198,000-acre Witch Creek fire, was the fourth-largest in California history.
Both this year and in 2003, the fires were stoked by fierce Santa Ana Winds blowing offshore.
Jane Hendron, a spokeswoman for Fish and Wildlife in Carlsbad, said by telephone later Friday that federal officials would welcome an invitation to meet with the association's regional planning committee. The association is governed by a 21-member board that represents the region's 18 cities and county government.
"This is an important topic and one that is deserving of focused, serious discussions," Hendron said. "But on the flip side, brush clearing does not in and of itself make everyone safe from wind-driven wildfires. In these Santa Ana winds, embers can travel half a mile or more. ... It's not a panacea."
During the meeting, Cafagna acknowledged clearing is not a cure-all.
"Obviously, there's not a heck of a lot you can do in an 80 mph firestorm," he said.
But Cafagna said it might help if homeowners were permitted to carve wider vegetation buffers around their houses.
And board member Bill Horn, a county supervisor, said it also might help if federal officials regularly thinned vegetation on national forest lands.
"We need to be able to clear the underbrush ... so that we can slow these fires down enough so that we can control them," Horn said. "Otherwise, we're going to repeat this every four years in San Diego County."
In shining the spotlight on the issue, Cafagna highlighted his city's efforts to cut down brush around homes.
He said federal and state agencies limit clearing in his city to no more than 2 acres for any single-family home lot, although on a couple occasions 4 acres were allowed.
"We would like to see more flexibility in this area," Cafagna said.
Hendron said she couldn't address the specific circumstances in Poway. But she said that for a decade, Fish and Wildlife Service has had an agreement with local governments that allows homeowners throughout the county to clear a minimum of 100 feet around their homes.
And in many cases, she said, her agency has allowed a wider swath of vegetation to be cut.
"There is flexibility that already exists -- and has for years," she said.
Hendron added that the purpose is defeated if brush is replaced with certain ornamental plants prone to burning.
"Eucalyptus trees contain a lot of oil. They burn explosively," she said. "And palm trees next to homes? Not a good idea."
Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 745-6611, Ext. 2623, or ddowney@nctimes.com.
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local historian wrote on Dec 22, 2007 3:21 AM:Our forebears, a century ago worried about these very same issues. Dead trees were called 'snags' and were removed as policy.
freelance wrote on Dec 22, 2007 6:48 AM:Post Cedar Fire the county mandated several new building code standards, enclosed eves, no wooden porches, and internal fire sprinklers. The internal fire sprinklers was a real knee jerk reaction. If they had mandated external fire sprinklers it may have kept hot embers and high heat away from homes. But the internal sprinklers are expenses and someone is making some big bucks to stop a fire that is already inside your home. Lets the real experts, the firefighters, generate some ideas.
Concerned wrote on Dec 22, 2007 6:59 AM:Regulation needed for SD County new homes, be it 1 home or a large development, all plants must be drought tolerant and fire resistant. Conserve water and help protect from fires at the same time.
Mayor Wood a No Show Again? wrote on Dec 22, 2007 7:27 AM:Where was Mayor Wood, we still need the San Luis Rey River cleaned up. What a disappointment he is.
Escondeeter wrote on Dec 22, 2007 7:44 AM:Here's a chance for the environmentalists to make good on their claims that they'd never get in the way of fuel clearance. Let's see how long it takes them or their captive federal and state agencies to start complaining about this plan. Let's see... when's the next business day?
Warner: wrote on Dec 22, 2007 7:45 AM: As stated above, "These fires are not over," - - - "We're going to see them again." And, there are many things we can do to lessen the devastation and loss. One of the major issues that has not been addressed is the very poor condition of the infrastructure in the county. Electrical wires being blown down by high winds were the major cause of the fires in San Diego county. We have had higher winds in our county and will have higher winds in the future. I am sure there is a required inspection system of the electrical connections and wires, which are a part of our infrastructure, and those that are not up to standard must be repaired or replaced. Evidently that has not been taking place. And there are many more such deteriorated wires and connections that are ready to come down in high winds that are at a little higher speed, or from a slightly different direction. Our attention should start at the very beginning of the fires, with the "downing of the electrical wire" but it seems that subject is being avoided.
Lawson wrote on Dec 22, 2007 8:06 AM:I fully support Mayor Jim Wood. He has made great strides during his term. His impeccable attendance and voting record at SANDAG is a matter of pride for all of Oceanside. You have my vote for re-election!
Buck wrote on Dec 22, 2007 8:13 AM:WAY TO GO Mayor. That group is a waste of time and monies, anyway.
More tax waste wrote on Dec 22, 2007 8:26 AM:More of my taxdollars spent by the government sloughs. SANDAG IS ALMOST AS BAD AS CALTRANS. Leave it to private citizens to protect their property or face the loss.
SaddleBackGuide wrote on Dec 22, 2007 8:43 AM:SD County has strange policies. Ag land cannot be cleared if not already farmed, zoning requirements are modified under advisories and other inequitable conditions imposed. Building the same house in Riverside or San Bernadino county is $100K less expensive than San Diego county! What a joke. I wish I never owned in San Diego...
SaddleBackGuide wrote on Dec 22, 2007 9:03 AM:We have been on solar for 7 years with little change in living conditions. We watched fires around us for days and finally realized we were the only folks with electricity. I can only wonder at the reluctance of folks who do not embrace this self sustainabilty. Paying for grid power is like throwing money into a black hole. Imagine if there were far fewer power lines to sway in the wind and spark more fires? Imagine if the pumps in Ramona were powered by solar and didn't fail? Imagine the change if there were only a few folks who needed to have power restored, and everyone else was good to go the next day?
concerned wrote on Dec 22, 2007 10:15 AM:Look to Australia and Ventura County (VC has its own fire dept; not CalFire) for fire protection leadership. They practice Go Early or Stay and Defend which is for all types of homes, both OLD and new. Look to SD County Fire Safe Councils working in areas with OLD and new homes. Shelter-In-Place (SIP) is only for new homes built in specific shelter-in-place communities. Every stakeholder (homeowner) old house, new house, SIP house, needs to be involved, educated, and trained. Every stakeholder that needs help physically, or is afraid, or other situations should be on County lists for early evacuation. We need well trained FF volunteers. The current FF's are overloaded and we don't have the monies for a firetruck for every house. The aircraft is as important as FF's. The 2007 mass phone calls for evacuation (reverse 911 system) almost cost more lives as people sat in vehicles for hours unable to escape. Some phone call warnings were several hours late. Some residents never received calls. Phones need to be set up to evacuate smaller precise fire areas. Improvements need to be made by CalFire by listening to the Fire Chiefs, the FF's, the ideas of ordinary people, university professors that study fire and evacuation with up-to-date expensive equipment, CalFire needs to generate new fire studies, and work with the informed men and women at the Federal USFS Missoula Fire Sciences Lab. CalFire must get aboard using science, common sense, and the human factors. The cost of 2007 fires - lives and homes - is huge. This will continue to happen until the stakeholders are part of the solution. That's how the west was won, people being involved. A year round fire season needs help from every able body. Yes to: training the stakeholders (homeowners), defensible space, fire resistant building materials, fire resistant plants, removing brush with help from prisoners, etc. Involve the stakeholders and then they make their choice to Go Early or Stay and Defend.
Woodless Oceanside, wrote on Dec 22, 2007 3:35 PM:Oceanside would be far better off with way less Wood in the City, especially the Mayors position.
lonnie wrote on Dec 22, 2007 5:42 PM:The policy of throwing money at fires is like burning $100 bills. The key is good planning and good infrastructure and to not build dense developments in high fire hazard severity areas and to especially make sure that people can evacuate if a fire occurs. THE CONCEPT OF SIP IS A MYTH. THE HUMAN BEING WOULD HAVE TO STAY IN THE SMOKE HEAT AND FRIGHT. IF HE HAD TIME TO EVACUATE THEN SIP NOT NECESSARY. SHOULD I STAY OR LEAVE, HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE, SHOULD I NOT GET MY CHILDREN AS THE BROCHURE SAYS, SHOULD I NOT CARE THAT I WOULD DIE IN SMOKE BECAUSE I AM A COMPROMISED HUMAN BEING WITH ASTHMA, MY NEIGHBOR LEFT HIS WINDOWS OPEN, I'M ON THE ROAD AND SEE THE SMOKE -WHAT DO I DO - THERE IS NO STAY OR GO EARLY - THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT ON ME BY A DEVELOPER!!! ITS NEVER BEEN DONE. I AM NOT IN THE BUSH COUNTRY IN AUSTRALIA - I AM IN A DEVELOPMENT THAT CAN BURN VERY QUICKLY AND I CAN'T PREPARE TO SIP AND I CAN'T ESCAPE -WOE IS ME!!!
FatBear wrote on Dec 22, 2007 6:45 PM:Does anyone actually THINK in this county? It would appear that SANDAG does not. They apparently take money from the developers, do what those developers want, and do anything possible to remove obstacles and expenses from those developers. "Brush" will always be here. If we clear it, it will grow back and the stuff that grows back will be even more flammable, burning faster (harder to evacuate ahead of) and more often than the old growth chaparral. We would be much better off to build our homes and keep our yards in such a way as to be fire resistant. Ah, but that might cost the developers and/or homeowners some money.
FatBear wrote on Dec 22, 2007 6:50 PM:Lonnie, calm down, you're going to hyperventilate. :-) If we cut the slower burning chaparral (the average speed of the Witch Fire was about .4 MPH, while the winds were blowing 40-75 MPH) then it will be replaced by very fast burning weeds. You will not have time to evacuate when these very fast burning weeds catch fire, so you had better learn to stay put and SIP (shelter in place) because that will be your only option.
to fatbear wrote on Dec 22, 2007 7:32 PM:The other option is not to build where SIP may be the only option in a fast moving fire. Unless, of course you don't care what the mortality may be in the untried SIP experiment in a diverse population group including infants. A wildland fire is unpredictable and can move very rapidly. Average speed means nothing to those who can't outrun a fast moving fire. Its obvious Fatbear has no knowledge of how dense smoke and fire affect human beings - perhaps you will believe the brohure and leave your child in the care of others during the fire. You sound pretty gullible to me.
Reardon wrote on Dec 22, 2007 8:23 PM:SIP appears to work pretty well in Australia, and in estate communities like Crosby and Cielo, but it is questionable at best in densely populated communities, and probably useless in existing older communities. And, there are two parts to SIP – the structure and the people. Unless the people are emotionally and physically strong they should evacuate early even if their home is designed for SIP. People should SIP only as a very last resort, but if their homes are designed for SIP at least they can probably return home to an intact residence. The “Stay and Defend” concept works best if the fire is approaching a Marine Barracks with strong and dedicated young men, or a residence whose home and residents are fully equipped, physically capable, and fully prepared. That is not the majority, or even a large number in ANY community, including an SIP designated community. Evacuation plans, and evacuation routes are a must.
janet wrote on Dec 24, 2007 10:16 AM:Fat Bear said that if we clear brush, grass and weeds will replace it. The AVERAGE speed that the fire will burn will thus be greater. He wasn't promoting shelter in place. He was saying that if we create conditions where fire burns much faster, we may not have time to evacuate and will have to SIP. Fire policy is almost entirely political and is indirectly set by developers. Their $$$ cause politicians to listen more carefully to them than to fire fighers. Why would these mayors educate themselves when the answers will put them at odds with developers? The most important thing each homeowner can do is to look at the risks within 30 feet of your home, looking carefully for where embers could ignite a fire, especially ventilation vents. Embers burned almost every house in the recent fire.
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