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Fire marshal briefs council on new Cal Fire local-responsibility zone maps; Chino has ~1,400 acres now mapped
Summary
Chino Fire Marshal Danielle O’Toole presented newly released Local Responsibility Area (LRA) fire-hazard-severity maps from Cal Fire identifying about 1,484 acres within Chino as moderate, high or very high hazard; the state timeline requires local agencies to adopt ordinances within 120 days and accept public comment through April.
The Chino City Council received an informational briefing April 1 on newly released fire-hazard-severity zone maps developed by Cal Fire. Danielle O’Toole, fire marshal for the Chino Valley Fire District, said the state model uses fire history, vegetation, terrain, weather and other factors to assign Very High, High and Moderate zones.
O’Toole told the council that the previous LRA map from 2011 had not identified any zones within Chino. The new maps, she said, designate roughly 1,484 acres within the city as Very High (1,078 acres), High (85 acres) and Moderate (321 acres). She emphasized that the mapping identifies acreage, not structures; many of the mapped acres are in preserved open space and may not contain homes.
Under state law and a 2021 Senate bill, local agencies must make the maps available for public review and accept comments (the city opened a public-comment period April 1 through the end of the month), and adopt an ordinance to formalize the maps within 120 days. O’Toole said the district is not proposing to reduce mapped areas; local agencies may increase zones but must submit substantial findings to do so.
Planning and development implications for Very High zones include CEQA safety-element updates, subdivision review, adherence to building standards and property-owner obligations such as maintaining defensible space and providing hazard disclosures on property transfers. O’Toole noted additional resources on the district and Cal Fire websites and provided an interactive map and QR code for residents.
Council members asked whether mapped acreage includes undeveloped land; O’Toole confirmed the figures refer to acreage and noted one existing structure within the mapped area was the California Institution for Women. The item was informational; no action was taken at the meeting.
Sources: presentation by Danielle O’Toole, Chino Valley Fire District; Cal Fire LRA map referenced during the presentation.
