Monterey Fire Department unveils draft Carmel-by-the-Sea fire defense plan

Monterey Fire Division Chief Justin Cooper presented a draft Carmel-by-the-Sea Fire Defense Plan at the Forest and Beach Commission meeting, describing a detailed, map-based approach to reduce wildfire risk through vegetation management, improved emergency access and prioritized roadside and roadside-clearance projects.

The plan, Cooper said, is built on the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) developed by Carmel-by-the-Sea together with Monterey and Pacific Grove. "This defense plan is built upon the CWPP," Cooper said, and narrows the CWPP’s broader recommendations into projects mapped specifically for Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Cooper told commissioners the draft identifies wildland–urban interface (WUI) zones and the new Cal Fire fire-hazard severity maps the city adopted by ordinance. "You can see the red is very high, the orange is high and the yellow is a moderate fire hazard severity zone," he said, noting Cal Fire’s mapping expands some areas previously shown as WUI. He emphasized that unshaded areas on the map are not free of risk: "It does not mean that we can't get a wildfire there and still spread across any of these lines."

Why it matters: the plan lays out specific fuel-reduction zones (including Pescadero Canyon, Casadero Canyon and Mission Trails) and an implementation framework staff can use to schedule work, pursue grants, and coordinate with Cal Fire and other agencies. Cooper said the plan is intended to help the city move from planning to concrete projects that create buffers at the edge of vegetation and protect developed parcels.

Key details and staff work: Cooper and his staff described components including: - Prioritized maps showing where roadside clearance and fuel reduction would most reduce risk. Cooper pointed to map sets in the binder that identify exact parcels and park areas targeted for projects. - Standards for vegetation management designed to limit ladder fuels and crown fires; Cooper said the intent is to "limb up the trees so that the canopies aren't hanging on to the ground and prevents that ladder spread." He added, "We're not telling people to cut down trees. That's not the intent here." - Attention to developed parcels and vacant lots; the plan includes separate standards for vacant lots under and over one acre and an appendix of vacant-lot APNs. - Emergency access and evacuation-route priorities; the plan flags corridors where annual roadside clearance would support evacuation if needed.

Inspections, outreach and enforcement: Cooper described a stepped approach of inspections and education. He said the department has been conducting defensible-space and home-hardening inspections in the red zone and had done "just over 500 inspections" so far; staff are documenting findings on the standard CAL FIRE defensible-space form and uploading results to CAL FIRE. Cooper said the fire prevention team now totals about 15 staff and that the defensible-space crew includes 13 people doing door-to-door outreach. "A lot of times people go, 'Hey, come let me show you the back of my yard' — it's typically a 30-minute conversation," Cooper said, noting education is a central goal alongside compliance checks.

Home hardening and building issues: Cooper and commissioners discussed roof gutters, pine needles and ember intrusion. Cooper said inspectors look at roof materials, gutters and eaves and recommend ember-resistant vents and other home-hardening measures listed on CAL FIRE guidance. He said the state Board of Forestry is expected to adopt new rules (discussion in the meeting placed possible statewide adoption in January), but the exact wording and any grace periods for preexisting buildings were not yet known. "We don't know actually what the law is going to say when it actually gets passed by the Board of Forestry," Cooper said.

Costs, insurance and grants: Cooper noted rising insurance costs are already a driver of interest in home hardening. He also described grant partnerships — for example, a firefighters association grant to help homeowners who cannot afford vegetation work — and urged homeowners to contact the fire department with questions.

Coordination with Cal Fire and regional partners: Cooper described active coordination with Cal Fire about projects near jurisdictional boundaries and said surveillance technologies (camera networks and AI smoke detection) and mutual-aid systems already support early detection and resource movement during large fires.

What the plan does not do: Cooper repeatedly stressed the plan is focused on mitigation, not tree removal for its own sake. He said project-level work will be developed once resources and permitting are aligned and that many projects will require public input and further environmental review.

Next steps and public questions: Commissioners and members of the public asked about specific items such as implementation timelines for Tenth Avenue stairs, protocols for vacant-lot notices and whether inspection records are accessible. Cooper said inspection records are being uploaded to CAL FIRE and that staff keep records for reinspection and compliance tracking. He also described tools being tested for tracking structure and parcel characteristics and said staff are exploring inventory software to improve data management.

Ending: The Commission received the presentation as an informational item and commissioners and staff discussed moving the plan into future project and public-review phases. Cooper invited follow-up questions and said staff will bring project-level proposals and environmental reviews forward when ready.