Glendale (PDF) - Hazard Mitigation Web Portal - State of California

Natural Hazards Mitigation PlanCity of Glendale, CaliforniaSection 7 – WildfiresExterior Construction Combustible roofing, open eaves, Combustible siding 3One or two of the above 2Non-combustible roof, boxed eaves, non-combustible siding 1As discussed above, in order to determine the "base hazard factor" of specific wildfire hazardsites and interface regions, several factors must be taken into account. Categories used to assessthe base hazard factor include: Topographic location, characteristics and fuels; Site/building construction and design; Site/region fuel profile (landscaping); Defensible space; Accessibility; Fire protection response; and Water availability.The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in recent years has been a greatasset to fire hazard assessment, allowing further integration of fuels, weather and topographydata for such ends as fire behavior prediction, watershed evaluation, mitigation strategies andhazard mapping.Vulnerability and RiskAs discussed previously, the city of Glendale is considered at risk from wildfire by the CaliforniaDepartment of Forestry. Furthermore, the Glendale Fire Department rates almost two-thirdsof the city as highly susceptible to wildland fires. The High Fire Hazard Areas in the citydefined by the Glendale Fire Department are shown on Map 7.2 (and Plate H-7). These areasare based on vegetation, access, zoning and topography.Notice that the Glendale Fire Department, consistent with the Bates Bill process describedabove, does not classify the fire hazard of an area as low, medium, high or extreme, but rather, aproperty is either in the fire hazard area, or it is not. [The City’s High Fire Hazard Areaincludes all areas with a medium, high or extreme brush fire hazard as delineated in the City’s1975 Safety Element.] The reason for this yes - no approach is that California State law requiresthat fire hazard areas be disclosed in real estate transactions; that is, real-estate sellers arerequired to inform prospective buyers whether or not a property is located within a wildlandarea that could contain substantial fire risks and hazards [Assembly Bill 6; Civil Code Section1103(c)(6)]. Real-estate disclosure requirements are important because in California theaverage period of ownership for residences is only five years (Coleman, 1994). This turnovercreates an information gap between the several generations of homeowners in fire hazard areas:Uninformed, new homeowners may attempt landscaping or structural modifications that couldbe a detriment to the fire-resistant qualities of the structure, with negative consequences.A vulnerability assessment of the interface areas of the city at risk from wildfire requiresknowledge about the population and total value of the property at risk, and an estimate of thearea that would be impacted by the fire. Other key factors that need to be considered in theassessment of wildfire risk include ignition sources, building materials and design, communitydesign, structural density, slope, vegetative fuel, fire occurrence and weather, as well as whetheror not the area is experiencing a drought, and if it is, how long have drought conditionspersisted. The National Wildland/Urban Fire Protection Program has developed theWildland/Urban Fire Hazard Assessment Methodology tool for communities to assess their2006 PAGE 7 - 11