Orange County Fire Authority outlines Ready, Set, Go program, inspection rules and new CAL FIRE maps for San Clemente homeowners

David Babbitt, the community wildfire mitigation inspector assigned to the city of San Clemente, and Ron Lloyd, assistant fire marshal for Division 3 of the Orange County Fire Authority, briefed the San Clemente Public Safety Committee on OCFA’s Ready, Set, Go wildfire-preparedness program and related inspection policies.

Babbitt described OCFA’s role in local wildfire mitigation and said the agency performs about 2,500 annual home and business vegetation inspections across the city’s high and very high fire severity zones. “If you live here, you have a very high probability of being involved in a wildfire in the next 50 years,” Babbitt said, adding that the maps OCFA uses are produced by CAL FIRE and “we have to accept them as is.”

The presentation emphasized three service areas: free educational home assessments, defensible-space enforcement and plan reviews for new construction. Homeowners in San Clemente can request a no-cost home assessment; Babbitt said inspectors will walk a property with a resident, point out vegetation and home-hardening weaknesses, and provide handouts. He said “there is no enforcement by OCFA during the assessment.”

OCFA outlined the agency’s enforcement timeline for defensible-space violations: inspectors mail a notice when a violation is found, conduct a first free re-inspection after 30 days, issue a second notice and re-inspect 15 days later, and, if unresolved by day 60, leave a door hanger with a photographed proof of service. If both OCFA and city code enforcement cannot secure compliance, Babbitt said the agency can refer persistent noncompliance to the district attorney’s office.

Staff also reviewed statutory changes and pending regulations. Babbitt cited the state requirement that, effective July 1, 2021, properties in very high fire severity zones must have a defensible-space inspection before close of escrow; compliant properties receive a six-month compliance letter. He said Assembly Bill 3074 will require a noncombustible five-foot immediate zone around new and, after a three‑year compliance window, existing homes in very high zones. Babbitt noted the governor’s executive order directing draft regulations within 45 days and final adoption by year’s end and said the rule could take effect in 2026 with a three‑year phase-in for existing homes if adopted on the timeline described.

OCFA staff gave practical guidance from the Ready, Set, Go program: ‘‘Ready’’ steps (home hardening and vegetation modification), ‘‘Set’’ steps (what to do as a fire approaches) and ‘‘Go’’ steps (evacuation and grab‑and‑go items). Babbitt and Lloyd also described types of inspections OCFA performs, distinguishing formal fuel‑modification plans (specific planting plans that must be matched on site) from defensible‑space inspections that focus on removal of dead or dying vegetation and maintaining required clearances.

Committee members asked about the CAL FIRE map update that was released the day before the meeting. Babbitt said OCFA is still importing the new data and that maps used by OCFA are the currently adopted (older) maps until the city completes its local adoption process. City staff later confirmed the city will hold a public comment period and two public hearings before the city adopts the new severity maps; state maps are developed and released by CAL FIRE.

OCFA provided outreach numbers: in 2024 the agency performed three home assessments in San Clemente and two community outreach events; at the time of the committee meeting OCFA had completed five home assessments in 2025 and had one community outreach event scheduled. Babbitt encouraged residents to schedule assessments online at ocfa.org and to review OCFA’s home assessment tool, which he said can be completed in about 20 minutes and is private to the homeowner.

The presentation concluded with staff contact guidance and a reminder that inspection season typically begins in March–April, weather dependent, and that compliance windows and enforcement steps are intended to balance education with public-safety needs.