Residents voiced their concerns about the cost of removing vegetation in San Luis Obispo Fire Department’s plan to implement Wildfire-Urban Interface (WUI) codes at Tuesday’s city council meeting. SLO’s fire department had presented their plan to the council and public.
“We know this is going to be a big undertaking for the community,” City Manager Whitney MacDonald said. “It’s a lot to kind of take in and get done in a short period of time.”
In March, Cal Fire released a new San Luis Obispo City Fire Hazard Severity Zone map with the “Very High” classification of fire hazard increased by 234% since Cal Fire last updated a map in 2011. Fire hazard is a fixed item that determines the conditions of an area that could fuel fires, whereas risk combines the fixed value of hazard with vulnerability, probability and consequences.
READ MORE: San Luis Obispo faces increased fire risk in proposed hazard map
The SLO Fire Department plans to take measures to make sure real estate follows WUI laws mainly through complaint and voluntary enforcement.
This means SLO’s fire department will enforce WUI laws when they get complaints about properties in the city not complying with the codes.
Todd Tuggle, SLO’s fire chief, acknowledges how this may seem like a flawed plan to residents.
“One of the things we’re a little bit worried about is the idea of bouncing around across the city,” Tuggle said. “Being at one property at a time and not making a huge difference in terms of our resiliency.”
The department hopes to move into mainly voluntary-based compliance, however, for now all volunteer visits will be fee-based. That means in order to get a property inspected by the fire department to see if it complies with the WUI codes, property owners must pay a fee.
The fire department is planning to use funding to bolster access to educational resources about fire safety to help residents while voluntary-based compliance remains fee-based.
However, residents are concerned with the cost and the complicated process that comes with making their property comply with WUI laws.
“I have trees that are so close to my house but I wasn’t allowed to take them down because of all the codes and permitting and everything,” 20-year long SLO resident Angellia Moore said.
Moore is a landscape designer and like many other residents, her house is in a high risk zone.
“It’s just a very complicated and expensive process to get the permits and the time consuming nature of it,” Moore said.
Residents are also worried about how the fire department’s plan will impact trees in SLO.
“There is not nearly enough protection for existing trees and mature vegetation,” Landscape Architect Lauren Hackney said. “Which actually has been shown in some cases to protect homes.”
Hackney, who has lived in SLO for six years, also notes the flooding and heat impacts if the fire department were to cut down trees.
Tuggle acknowledges the importance of trees for wildfire prevention. He notes the fire department plans to try to preserve indigenous trees that have evolved to be fire resistant.
Insurance rates were another pending issue for residents who thought that their insurance may increase if their house is in a higher risk fire zone.
However, the fire department claims according to Cal Fire insurance companies look at factors beyond hazard maps to determine rates. Factors like how a home’s structural integrity and fire resistance determine insurance rates.
By the end of the meeting, many public commentators at the city council meeting reiterated they just want the process of complying with the law to be easier.
“Please make it easy to do the right thing,” Hackney said.
