State Fire Maps Raise Questions
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – State officials acknowledged Wednesday that data from recently published wildfire hazard maps could be factored into reviews by property insurance companies to make determinations about risks — and therefore policies and rates — which one area mayor said could’ve been averted if local input had been admitted before the maps were drawn up.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal’s “Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps” are under review by jurisdictions statewide. On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a request by county fire Chief Bill Weiser to coordinate with the Executive Office in drafting revisions to Ordinance No. 787 to incorporate the updated maps into the regulatory framework.
The maps were released in March by the fire marshal’s office, an adjunct of Cal Fire, and counties and municipalities are reviewing them. They depict locations that rate “moderate,” “high” and “very high” under criteria established by Cal Fire.
“Much of the same data that is used in the fire hazard severity zone model are likely included in the insurance companies’ risk models,” according to a Cal Fire statement released to City News Service. “However, insurance risk models incorporate many additional factors and factors that change more frequently than those that Cal Fire includes in its hazard mapping, which is built to remain steady for 10-plus years.”
The practice of classifying localities by zone began in the early 1990s, and since then, the state Legislature has modified how classifications occur, focusing on “local responsibility areas,” in addition to “state responsibility areas.” After the maps are completed, they’re submitted to jurisdictions for consideration and approval during public hearings.
“The dramatic increase in areas designated as high fire risk, specifically within the city limits, has been exponential,” Lake Elsinore Mayor Bob Magee said in a statement. “The insurance industry has responded, raising rates and cancelling homeowners’ insurance policies left and right.”
Magee has been one of the most outspoken critics of the latest zone changes, complaining that the Office of the State Fire Marshal did not accommodate the city’s and others’ attempts to contribute to the rating process. He said that as a member of the State Board of Fire Services, he and partners from the California League of Cities tried to arrange for a hearing involving Cal Fire administrators.
“The Zoom link on the agenda was missing one digit, preventing remote participation from those wishing to comment,” Magee said.
He expressed bewilderment over the updated maps and their arrangement, pointing out that “a significant portion of our lake — underwater — has been designated as a High Fire Risk.”
State officials did not directly respond to this criticism, saying only that “maps are developed using a science-based and field-tested model that assigns a hazard score based on the factors that influence fire likelihood and fire behavior.”
“The model that produces zoning in non-wildland areas currently does not explicitly include structure fuel contributions to spread but are characterized for fire exposure due to proximity of wildland fire hazard and characteristics of adjacent non-wildland areas, including slope, vegetation cover and firebrand load,” Cal Fire stated.
Lake Elsinore is immediately adjacent to the Cleveland National Forest.
Along with Lake Elsinore, other municipalities and unincorporated communities countywide now have high or very high Fire Hazard Severity Zone risk designations. The thousands of homes ringing Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park in Riverside, as well as properties within a large slice of the city’s western border with Norco, fall into red-lined tiers.
The same applies to parts of Banning, Calimesa, Canyon Lake, French Valley, Mead Valley, Meadowbrook, Menifee, Moreno Valley and Temescal Valley. Segments of the Coachella Valley generally rank at the moderate level.
The revised Riverside County ordinance will include updated standards regarding “defensible space” around properties, land use planning, building code standards and full disclosures when real estate is sold, according to officials.
Maps can be viewed at: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/community-wildfire-preparedness-and-mitigation/fire-hazard-severity-zones/fire-hazard-severity-zones-maps
For More Fire Season News Visit www.zapinin.com/fire-season