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San Rafael gives progress report on 2019 wildfire action plan; inspectors have completed nearly all single-family parcels
Summary
City staff reported progress on the 2019 Wildfire Prevention and Protection Action Plan: about 85% of actions are complete/ongoing, nearly 30,000 property inspections completed and a May 2027 deadline remains for wood-shake roof replacement (roughly 140 roofs left). Council accepted the informational report 4-0.
San Rafael staff told the City Council on Oct. 6 they have completed or moved into maintenance about 85% of the 38 action items in the city’s 2019 Wildfire Prevention and Protection Action Plan and that nearly all single-family parcels have been inspected as part of ongoing mitigation work.
Quinn Gardner, deputy director of emergency management, and other staff gave a six-year status update. Staff reported 4 plan items are complete and closed out, eight items are in a completion phase moving into maintenance, 21 items are ongoing programs, two items are in progress, two are pending and one has not started. Staff also reported nearly 30,000 total inspections to date, which include initial inspections and follow-up reinspections, and said single-family parcel inspection coverage is effectively complete.
Key program accomplishments staff highlighted include: expansion of citywide vegetation-management standards beyond the traditional wildland-urban interface, establishment of full-time wildfire mitigation staff positions, expanded public education with multilingual outreach, fuel reduction and shaded fuel-break projects, and development of evacuation improvements including portable high/low sirens and other alerting tools.
Staff noted three plan items remain the most complex: a proposed dual-gate requirement (a cost-benefit analysis is underway), a possible update to the city’s wildland-urban interface (WUI) mapping (which would have insurance and other implications), and consideration whether to adopt state Chapter 5 building-code standards (previously discussed as “7A”) citywide or limit them to the mapped WUI. Gardner said the city is reviewing recent state code changes and modeling advances and will recommend a refreshed plan structure and public process for any updates.
Staff also described grant-funded homeowner assistance and other direct-assistance programs, and said uptake on some available grants has lagged; staff noted the city has funding available and encouraged residents to apply. Council accepted the informational report by unanimous vote and asked staff to bring follow-up materials on code updates and community outreach strategies.
