California Implements New Fire, Building Codes
In October and November of 2003, I served on the Incident Command Team that responded to the Cedar Fire in San Diego County. That horrific fire killed 15 people, including one firefighter. It burned approximately 280,000 acres and destroyed 2,232 homes and 22 commercial properties. It was one of several devastating blazes that were part of the worst wildfire siege to ever hit the state in terms of structure loss.
As state fire marshal, I believe one of our biggest challenges is to address this natural hazard through defensible space and new building codes. When these two mitigation practices are combined, research and fireground experience has proven that a building's chance of survival is dramatically improved.
California's climate makes wildfires inevitable. But we don't have to accept catastrophic loss of homes and businesses in our communities. There is a two-pronged approach that can greatly increase the odds that a structure will survive a wildfire. The first component is something we have been preaching for years — clearance around the structure. Just by removing flammable materials from 100 feet around the house, the homeowner creates a “defensible space” a buffer between burning vegetation and buildings. See the CAL FIRE Web site at www.fire.ca.gov for more information.
The second component of our plan is new. California buildings of the future will be safer from wildfire because of the California Building and Fire Codes which will go into effect in January. These codes require ignition resistant construction standards and methods for all new buildings in California's fire-prone interface. The new requirements specifically address the threat of wildland fires by preventing burning embers from entering and igniting the building. The new standards will increase construction costs slightly, but ignition-resistant construction greatly increases the chances that a home in the interface will still be standing after a fire passes through the area.
Not every home in California needs the added protection of wildland fire-resistant construction. The new codes only apply to properties located in the state responsibility areas or in areas identified as very high fire hazard severity zones. A map of the designated areas is available on the CAL FIRE Web site.
The hazard maps and building codes reflect the best available science and technology as it applies to fire and emergency response. These new maps and codes are the result of thousands of hours of collaboration among the fire service, building organizations, planning associations, civic and environmental groups. All of us working together to make California a safer place to live.
