Woodside Fire District briefed council on new Cal Fire hazard maps and home-hardening work

Woodside Fire Marshal Kim Giulacci told the Town Council on April 8 that Cal Fire released updated Local Responsibility Area (LRA) hazard maps in late February and that the district has posted a resource page and links to upcoming public briefings.

The presentation detailed what the new maps do and do not show and why residents were seeing jagged parcel boundaries on the state maps. Giulacci said the maps reflect hazard (vegetation, topography and climate) rather than structure density or evacuation routes and therefore do not substitute for local prevention rules.

"They're hazard maps, not risk maps," Giulacci said, adding that the district's adopted fuel-mitigation ordinance (Ordinance No. 2401) remains applicable across the entire district and is more restrictive than the state maps in many places. She said the district will continue to enforce the local ordinance because it applies townwide.

Giulacci said the district expects to host public forums and that a statewide briefing organized by an assembly member will include Cal Fire and insurance-industry representatives; details and RSVPs are posted on the district website. She urged residents to consult the district's hazard page for explanatory materials and videos.

Council members asked about insurance implications and response assets. Giulacci said insurers often use risk-based models and that the local ordinance and homeowners' compliance could affect insurance outcomes. She also reviewed state mutual-aid assets that can assist local response, singling out aircraft (helicopters and air tankers) and larger equipment as key long-range supports.

The fire marshal described the district's home-hardening program and its phased home-assessment schedule: inspectors have completed roughly 1,000 home assessments in the Woodside area so far and continue outreach (door hangers and notifications) to schedule remaining properties. She said low homeowner response has slowed progress into later zones but that the program will continue until all homes are assessed on its multi-year timetable.

On detection technology, Giulacci described early-warning sensors (N5) already deployed in the district that have produced three actionable alerts (including drift smoke and a roadside vehicle flare) and said the district is developing a drone program and has pilots in training for scene reconnaissance.

The presentation was informational only; the council did not take action. Giulacci said the fire district will bring any ordinance changes to its own board for adoption and that, after adoption, the town council would see the item for ratification if needed.