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CAL FIRE map update expands Simi Valley wildfire hazard zones; county officials urge home hardening
Summary
Ventura County Fire Marshal Joe Morelli briefed the council on CAL FIRE’s updated Local Responsibility Area maps, saying Simi Valley’s mapped area increased 68% and outlining implications for home hardening, defensible space, and forthcoming state regulations targeting the first five feet around structures.
Ventura County Fire Marshal Joe Morelli told the Simi Valley City Council on April 7 that CAL FIRE’s updated Local Responsibility Area maps substantially increase mapped wildfire hazard in the city. Morelli said Simi Valley’s mapped area rose 68% compared with the 2010 maps; the city’s very high fire hazard area expanded about 14% and the state this year included high and moderate classifications that previously were not mapped at the local responsibility level.
Morelli explained how the maps were developed: CAL FIRE used fuel, weather, topography and statewide fire history from 1991 through 2020. He emphasized the maps do not incorporate recent fires after 2020 and that the state’s computer modeling has evolved since the 2010 maps. The new maps add high and moderate hazard bands in addition to expanding very high hazard areas.
The county official outlined practical implications for residents and the city: typical “home hardening” measures apply in mapped areas (ember‑resistant attic vents, noncombustible or limited‑combustible siding, dual‑pane windows), and defensible‑space requirements (a 100‑foot zone in very high areas) remain enforceable. Morelli further highlighted Assembly Bill 38’s real‑estate disclosure requirement tied to defensible‑space inspections on property sales and said the State Board of Forestry has been ordered to promulgate regulations by December to address combustible materials within the first five feet around a structure — regulations that would apply to existing as well as new construction in very high hazard areas and include a three‑year compliance timeline.
Morelli and councilmembers discussed insurance effects, and he distinguished “hazard” maps (what CAL FIRE produces) from insurer “risk” maps (which consider parcel‑level mitigation such as hardening). He said the California Insurance Commissioner has indicated insurers use different risk‑based data, and that some insurers already apply 5‑foot noncombustible recommendations as underwriting mitigations. Morelli encouraged residents to pursue Firewise community status and to use Fire Safe Council home‑assessment programs, which can provide anonymous assessments without triggering enforcement.
The Ventura County Fire Department already inspects roughly 19,000 structures annually for defensible space, maintains about 66 miles of fire roads and has increased support for Firewise communities from 4 to 29 in recent years. Morelli said the county also pursues fuel reduction projects, prescribed burns and grazing, and partners on grants for mitigation work.
Councilmembers pressed on triggers for map updates, the scope of new building code and retrofit requirements, and what homeowners should do now. Morelli recommended residents check the CAL FIRE viewer, evaluate hardening measures, consider home wildfire assessments through Fire Safe Councils and watch for December rulemaking addressing the 0–5 foot zone.
