Grass Valley staff review new state wildfire hazard maps, ask public for input

City of Grass Valley fire officials presented updated Local Responsibility Area (LRA) fire hazard severity maps from the Office of the State Fire Marshal (CAL FIRE) at a March council meeting and asked residents to review maps online and submit comments to firesafety@cityofgrassvalley.com.

The maps, staff said, show potential hazard levels across the city and are based on fuel loading, slope, fire weather history and wind patterns. "The maps indicate potential hazard, not immediate risk, and do not account for mitigation efforts or fire resistant construction," Fire Chief Mark Butryn said during the presentation. He and Community Risk Reduction Manager Dwayne Strauser said the maps will help prioritize mitigation and grant-seeking but cannot be used by local agencies to lower a designation assigned by the state.

Why this matters: the designations can affect grant eligibility for mitigation work, and residents asked whether…