NORTH COUNTY -- New fire protection guidelines for developers proposed by San Diego County's planning department are creating a stir.

One set of critics object to the guidelines because they refer to a firefighting strategy called "shelter in place" and say that planners have not learned from the devastating 2003 Cedar and Paradise fires, when more than 2,400 homes were destroyed.

But another group of fire and construction experts say the guidelines would encourage overzealous removal of vegetation around new homes.

"It has to do with what the whole county will look like in the future," said Anne Fege, who has been organizing a series of fire protection workshops at the San Diego Natural History Museum. "I think it's an overreaction growing out of the 2003 fires."

The guidelines were drawn up by county planners and reviewed by a panel consisting mostly of firefighters such as California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection legend Bill Clayton and current CDF Division Chief Thom Porter.

They say that each new development must submit a fire protection plan that addresses emergency services, road access, water supply, vegetation management and fire-resistant construction that is fire resistant. The guidelines also provide ways for local fire districts to weigh in on the plan.

"We've going to have some of the strictest policies of any jurisdiction in the state," said Deputy Planning Director Ivan Holler this week.

Evacuation preferred

As shelter in place suggests, if a wildfire approaches, authorities could encourage residents to stay in their homes to avoid a chaotic evacuation. Many of the 16 people killed during the 2003 fires were trying to drive to safety.

County officials say that shelter in place would be considered only in new projects where buildings are made of fire-resistant materials, and it would remain an option for firefighters rather than a default.

"Evacuation is preferred," said Jeff Murphy, the primary author of the guidelines and the county's chief of regulatory planning, this week. "Secondary access is what we require first and foremost. (Shelter in place) is an option we can consider, but they have to prove to us they can't find a way for secondary access."

In addition, to consider shelter in place, the county would require permanent funding for extensive brush management and public education from the developer.

"It's not easy," Murphy said. "There's a lot you have to do."

Opponents of the strategy call it risky and untested and say that allowing it is a way for developers to build homes in remote, fire-prone areas where they shouldn't because of inadequate roads.

"Any development that has to rely on it shouldn't be approved, because it would be a catastrophe," said Madelyn Buchalter, a vocal opponent of the proposed 2,700-home Stonegate project north of San Marcos.

She and her husband, Ira, who live in the Hidden Meadows area, have set up a Web site, www.llcfire.com, encouraging people to reject the county's proposals.

"If we can succeed in stopping the county planning department from adopting 'shelter-in-place' as policy, future development in the county cannot occur unless adequate evacuation options exist," their site says.

Stonegate's developer removed references to shelter in place from its fire protection plan last year, but the Deer Springs fire district still rejected the plan as inadequate.

A change in the county's policy would affect other areas as well.

Valley Center fire officials have said that home building there has slowed because the county has been stringently applying its policy calling for two regular exits from every subdivision.

A risky experiment?

So far, the Rancho Santa Fe fire district is the only agency in San Diego County to officially adopt shelter in place. It only applies to five newer developments: The Bridges, 4S Ranch, Cielo, Santa Fe Valley and The Crosby, which were built to stringent 2000 codes.

"I feel it's a good thing," said Tom Hickerson, who serves on the district's board and lives in 4S Ranch west of Rancho Bernardo. "I'd rather be here than out on the road."

The Buchalters say that if firefighters actually had residents stay in their homes during a wildfire, the heat and smoke would kill them even though the structures might survive.

"It's never really been tried anywhere," Madelyn Buchalter said. "And that's a good thing."

Fire officials say that the idea evolved out of planning for hazardous materials incidents, such as the crash of a chemical-filled tanker truck, when staying inside is safer.

"It's not new, and it's just one of the tools in the toolbox," said Ralph Steinhoff, county fire services coordinator.

During the Cedar and Paradise fires, firefighters adopted shelter in place as a last resort improvisation, keeping thousands at the Barona and the Valley View casinos.

"Our firefighters shelter in place all the time, but it's more an option for an incident commander to use depending on the situation," said a Los Angeles County Fire Department inspector, Sam Padilla. "A prescriptive plan seems like a lot to ask from residents."

Strategy may backfire

The county's strict guidelines on vegetation management may actually backfire, according to Fege, a former Cleveland National Forest administrator.

"If you disturb the soil, you end up with more invasive grasses and flashy fuels instead of native chaparral, which is hard to ignite," she said.

The provisions for shelter in place call for "fuel management zones" extending to four times the calculated length of a wildfire's flames. That could come out much farther than the existing requirement to thin vegetation to 100 feet away from buildings, she said.

Fege said that her studies found that out of around 400 homes built to the latest updated safety codes in the footprint of the 2003 fires, only 15 burned.

"The adoption of fire-resistant materials statewide has reduced the risks," Fege said. "You have to ask, what are the marginal benefits of doing more fuel management?"

Scott Molloy, who represents the Building Industry Association of San Diego, said he supported most of the county's guidelines but agreed with Fege that "brush management is not a panacea."

"Other tools exist such as block walls and fire-resistant construction," he said.

Some calculations of "flame length" could result in 13 acres of clearance around each building, Molloy said.

"It's expensive to maintain, and so the reality is, it won't get done," he said.

Previous article about shelter in place:

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/02/13/news/inland/21206191754.txt

Contact staff writer Quinn Eastman at (760) 740-5412 or qeastman@nctimes.com.

- The proposed fire protection guidelines, part of a set of policies dealing with issues such as air quality, noise and groundwater, are available at: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/docs/PR/2-09-07/Guidelines.html

County officials are asking for public comment on the guidelines until Feb. 26. Comments should be sent to:

Department of Planning and Land Use, Attn: Mario Covic, 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite B, San Diego, CA 92123-1666

or mario.covic@sdcounty.ca.gov.