Southern Marin fire officials outline countywide wildfire risk reduction plan; urge community action

Southern Marin Fire Chief Chris Tubbs and county partners presented a countywide update on wildfire risk reduction to the Mill Valley City Council, describing coordinated projects on fuel breaks, water infrastructure, evacuation alerting and community preparedness programs.

The presentation summarized ongoing work by the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA), the Southern Marin Fire District and Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), and stressed that officials expect new state regulations tied to AB 3074 and forthcoming Board of Forestry rules to increase the emphasis on “zone 0” and home hardening. “This is a whole community approach,” Chief Tubbs told the council, urging coordinated action among residents, local government and regional agencies.

Officials said countywide programs funded by MWPA and local measures are already supporting vegetation treatments, fuel-break projects and grants to homeowners, while MMWD continues water-infrastructure upgrades to improve fire flow. Matt Sampson, president of Marin Municipal Water District, told the council his agency is treating vegetation on about 20,000 acres of watershed and that pipe replacement costs can be high — “2 and a half million dollars for a mile of pipe replacement right now in Marin County,” he said — which constrains the pace of water-system upgrades.

Why thi…