Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fire Hazard Maps topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire chief says community outreach on hazard maps welcomed; vegetation-management standard planned
Summary
Fire staff reported positive reception to wildfire hazard-severity maps and said the city will propose a vegetation-management standard and examine narrow-street fire-lane changes for Monterey Hills.
Fire Chief Lloyd told the commission that presentations on the new fire hazard severity zone maps drew strong turnout and constructive questions from residents, and that staff will bring a vegetation-management standard to help homeowners create defensible space. Chief Lloyd said residents understood the difference between a hazard map and the risk maps insurers use, noting that hazard maps “look just at the land as it lays” and do not account for property hardening or defensible space. That distinction, staff said, helps focus city outreach on vegetation management and home-hardening measures that can lower actual fire risk. Outreach meetings included Monterey Hills and Arroyo Vista and, according to Council member Omari Ferguson, attracted roughly 130 attendees at one session. Lloyd said staff also fielded questions about narrow streets and parking and that there was “pretty strong support” for exploring fire-lane designations to reduce the chance that parked cars impede emergency access. Lloyd said the city will present the maps and outreach materials to the Natural Resources and Environmental Commission as part of continued public engagement, and staff will develop draft vegetation-management standards in the coming months for public review. This item was informational; no formal action was taken.
