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Fullerton Council Adopts Updated Safety Element to Address Wildfire, Flood and Evacuation Risks
Summary
The Fullerton City Council unanimously adopted an updated General Plan safety element after staff and a consultant walked the council through changes required by state law, wildfire map updates, evacuation analysis and flood data. The update opens eligibility for FEMA grants and prompts outreach to thousands of affected properties.
Fullerton — The City Council on April 1 adopted an updated safety element to the Fullerton General Plan, a state‑mandated chapter that lays out hazard mapping, goals, policies and actions for wildfire, flooding, seismic and other risks. The vote was unanimous.
City staff and consultant Aaron Funnestiel told the council the update was triggered by changes in state law and the city’s recent housing element work. “The safety element is just one of several mandatory chapters of the general plan,” Aaron said during his presentation, explaining the revisions were necessary for compliance and to open doors to federal funding through FEMA.
Why it matters: The changes respond to new California Government Code requirements and recent wildfire‑severity map updates that require Cal Fire review. Staff said the update will help the city pursue mitigation grants and set policies on vegetation management, evacuation planning and climate adaptation.
Council members asked about operational implications and funding. Mayor Pro Tem Charles and others urged staff to pursue Rivers and Mountains Conservancy and Cal Fire grant opportunities for vegetation management and fuel reduction. Staff confirmed they used the most recent FEMA flood insurance rate maps for flood planning and said the SB 99 evacuation analysis identified constrained neighborhoods where connectivity and single ingress/egress pose evacuation challenges.
Public input: Dozens of residents spoke during the public hearing. Concerns raised included invasive plants and brush management in Brea Dam and Hillcrest Park, requests for hard‑copy maps for residents without internet access, and outreach to properties newly designated in very high fire hazard severity zones. Fire staff said roughly 2,500 properties are currently highlighted on the draft maps and that number would increase to over 5,000 once maps are adopted.
Next steps: The council adopted the resolution amending the General Plan to incorporate the safety element and replace listed goals. Staff will finalize the document for adoption and pursue grant funding and outreach tied to the new maps.
The council’s action enables the city to remain in compliance with state planning law and positions Fullerton to seek mitigation resources that can pay for vegetation management, evacuation improvements and hardening of critical facilities.
