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Resident with disaster-planning background urges Fairview to conduct after‑action review and pursue fire‑mitigation grants
Summary
Larry Webb, a new Fairview resident and former California fire chief, urged the board to commission a detailed after‑action review of the city's ice-storm response, examine debris-management policies for streets 'in limbo', and develop wildfire mitigation plans for Bowie Park and other interface areas.
At Fairview’s April town hall, Larry Webb — who identified himself as a former community fire chief and disaster‑planning specialist — urged the city to undertake a thorough after‑action review of its response to the recent ice storm and to prepare wildfire mitigation plans for interface areas including Bowie Park.
"We have to know what went right. We have to know what went wrong," Webb told the mayor and commissioners, offering to attach his resume and a letter to substantiate his recommendations. He said his neighborhood in the Goodwin Farm subdivision was left without city debris removal because the street is in a transition from developer to city ownership and described being told in writing that "no city services will be provided to a street that's in my circumstance." Webb asked the city to reexamine that policy and include debris management plans and continuity‑of‑operations scripts covering the first 0–4 hours and first 96 hours after a disaster.
Webb also warned that damaged trees and insect infestations caused by drought and ice‑storm damage increase fire risk in the wildland‑urban interface. He urged the city to pursue available fire‑mitigation grants and to develop incident action plans specific to large parklands such as Bowie Park. "We need a fire mitigation plan for Bowie Park," he said.
Commissioners thanked Webb for his service and said they were already looking into some of the issues he raised. Officials clarified that emergency responders would still answer 911 calls but acknowledged confusion over debris removal policies for streets that have not been formally accepted by the city. The board said staff would review the written communications Webb referenced and follow up.
Webb and others also raised stormwater concerns, urging periodic maintenance and silt removal from detention ponds. One resident urged HOAs and developers to bear long‑term maintenance responsibility rather than leaving the burden to the city decades later; city staff said the city engineer was already reviewing several sites.
Next steps: officials said they would investigate the written notice Webb received about city services, review detention pond maintenance status with the city engineer, and explore available mitigation grant opportunities. Webb requested a formal after‑action review to be scheduled.
