Title
Report Regarding an Ordinance to Adopt the Updated California Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) Maps for the City of South San Francisco (Ian Hardage, Fire Marshal)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Introduce by title and waive further reading of an ordinance adopting the updated California Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs) within the City of South San Francisco, as required by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) (Ian Hardage, Fire Marshal).
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is statutorily responsible for identifying and mapping areas within the state based on their level of wildfire risk. Pursuant to Public Resources Code Sections 4201-4204, CAL FIRE develops and maintains Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for State Responsibility Areas (SRAs) and, in coordination with local agencies, for Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs).
FHSZ maps are land use planning documents that reflect a "hazard" classification with respect to wildfire including two key elements:
* Probability of an Area Burning
* Expected Fire Behavior under Extreme Fuel and Weather Conditions
Lands within the FHSZs are classified in one of four categories: Very High (Shown in Red), High (Shown in Orange), Moderate (Shown in Yellow), and No Hazard (Shown in White). From these categories, the maps can be used to:
? Designate where California's Defensible Space Standards and WUI Building Codes are Required
? Trigger Real Estate Disclosure Documentation
? Inform a Municipality's General Plan for Development
The original FHSZ mapping process began in the late 1980s, focusing on slope, fuel load, fire weather, and historical wildfire data. These maps help determine where Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) building standards, defensible space regulations, and real estate disclosure requirements apply. Over the years, California has experienced increasingly...
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