Alarm bells began ringing across the state in the wake of the devastation of the Los Angeles County fires. Suddenly it became evident that even communities thought to be “safe” from wildfires were vulnerable. The CalFire Hazard Severity Maps were updated and on March 10, neighborhoods in Monterey County found themselves newly coded bright red for very high risk, orange for high risk or yellow for moderate risk for wildfires.
The new designation comes with new regulations, including neighborhoods in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, where within about three years structures will be required to have a defensible space, including a 5-foot space with no vegetation or debris. Large trees will have to be trimmed back. For now it’s all about education, says Jennifer Valdez, fire inspector and fire mitigation specialist with the Monterey Fire Department, which covers all three cities.
“Our bottom line is we don’t want people to panic,” she says. “We are here to work with you.”
The department mobilized after the maps were released to hire and train six new defensible space inspectors, joining one existing inspector. The three-week training was completed at the end of May.
Over the next few months the inspectors will be going out across the cities, first to inspect vacant lots, regardless of what wildfire zone they’re in. Property owners are notified if debris needs to be removed or vegetation cut back. Next they will visit homes in the very high-risk areas, followed by high-risk then moderate-risk neighborhoods. They hope to be done by September.
Inspectors will first take a look at any structural weaknesses – wood shake roofs, single-paned windows, for example – and make recommendations for home hardening improvements. Next they will look at surrounding vegetation and advise on what needs to be removed to comply with upcoming regulations. Part of the goal is to prevent homeowners from making costly landscaping decisions and other changes that would later have to be removed once enforcement begins.
The inspectors will also be looking at homes that are in violation of an existing ordinance that took effect Jan. 1, 2023. That ordinance requires people to remove “combustible vegetation” from within 100 feet, or to the property line, from structures, whichever is closer. Division Chief Justin Cooper says they are looking for tall weeds, leaves collecting on rooftops and other debris that could result in a fire, among other risk factors.