Building and Living in California’s Wildland Urban Interface

1. Building and Living in California’sWildland Urban Interface Presented by CAL FIRE California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection State Fire Marshal

2. California has one of the most severe wildland fire problems in the world. • Population (over 5 million in fire hazard areas) • Vegetation • Topography • Climate

3. Fires have burned in California throughout its history. It is a part of nature.

4. Homes are burned, lives lost, businesses ruined.

5. Conflagration Fires Most high fire losses are during hot, windy days or nights when flames spread rapidly. Winds blow embers sometimes miles from the main fire. There are not enough firefighters to protect all the Structures threatened, and resources become overwhelmed. Fire Siege 2003

6. Can we afford the millions of dollars spent every year to protect homes and property from wildfires?

7. Is there a way to prevent the devastation and prepare for the inevitable?

8. Who is in the fire prone areas of California?

9. This map is a draft and can be expected to change before the maps are completed. • State Responsibility Area (SRA) Maps: • Released to CAL FIRE • units May 2007 • County public hearing • process • Moderate, high, and very • high zones • Final maps completed by • January 2008

10. Fire Hazard Severity Zones SRA FHSZ Draft County Map Moderate Zones High Zones Very High Zones

11. Local Responsibility Area • (LRA) • Maps • Sent to local agencies having jurisdiction • after SRA Maps are approved • Only Very High FHSZ will be mapped • Local Government Hearings • Final Maps approximately January 2009

12. Example of how a local Fire Hazard Severity Map may be used with a parcel layer. This helps Building and Fire Officials determine what provisions would apply to a builder.

13. Why Buildings Burn in the Wildland Urban Interface • Direct flame impingement from nearby vegetation, debris, or other combustible materials • Radiant heat from dense vegetation, adjacent to • structure/decks. Cause combustibles to heat up, then • ignite. • Airborne burning embersenter a structure through small openings or lodge/collect in areas where the embers smolder and are fanned by winds, then combustible material ignites, sometimes hours after the fire has passed.

14. Wildfire Threats To Buildings From: Landscape and Building Design for Bushfire Areas. Ramsay & Rudolph, CSIRO Building exposed to the main flame front of a wildfire for a relatively short period of time – 5 to 10 minutes. (Direct Flame Impingement) If one building starts to burn, it becomes a threat to others. (Radiant Heat) Building will be exposed to pre- and post- fire flying embers much longer, especially during wind driven fires. (Airborne Burning Embers)

15. New Wildland Urban Interface Building Code Standards Chapter 7A California Building Code Applies to: New Construction in all of the SRA New Construction in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Jurisdiction(Buildings in Federal Lands: Check with Local Jurisdiction)

16. Ignition ResistiveMaterials Testing Wall Testing Window Testing

17. Building Standards Focus on Eliminating Ember Ignitions Phase I Now in Effect • Roofs • Class A for all VHFHSZ, Class B for HFHSZ and Class C for MFHSZ in SRA) • Roof Gutters • Provided with the means to prevent the accumulation of debris • Vents • “Resistant to intrusion of flame and embers” or non-combustible ¼” (6 mm) mesh screen maximum

18. Absence of sustained flaming or glowing combustion of any kind at the conclusion of the 90-min observation period. Roof and Roof Assemblies

19. Changes in Roofs and Roof Assemblies From This…. To This….

20. Changes in Roof Gutters From This…. To This….

21. Building Standards Focus on Eliminating Ember Ignitions • Phase II effective January 1, 2008 • Ignition Resistant Construction: • Exterior siding • Exterior wall vents • Exterior doors • Decking surfaces • Floor projections • Windows

22. Exterior Wall • Absence of flame penetration through the wall assembly at any time. • Absence of evidence of glowing combustion on the interior surface of the assembly at the end of the 70-min test.

23.  Windows • Absence of flame penetration of windows during the test. • Absence of structural failure of the Frame or glazing, or gaps or fissures greater than 0.25 x 6 in. (6 x 150 mm). • Absence of flaming or glowing combustion of the framing at the conclusion of the 40-min test.

24. Eaves •  Absence of flame penetration of the eaves at any time. •  Absence of structural failure of the eaves subassembly at any time. • Absence of sustained combustion of any kind at the conclusion of the 40-min test.

25. Decks Peak heat release rate of less than or equal to 25 kW/ft2 (2.3 kW/m2). Absence of sustained flaming or glowing combustion of any kind at the conclusion of the 40-min observation period. Absence of structural failure of any deck board.

26. Building Standards AND Defensible Space

27. Public Resources Code (PRC) 4290 and 4291 Defensible Space • Remove dead vegetation 30 feet around the building. • Modify brush, flammable vegetation, or combustible • growth within 100 feet around the building by thinning • and trimming to minimize a continuous “fuel” path to • the structure.

28. Road standards for fire equipment access. • Standards for signs identifying streets, roads, • and buildings. • Minimum private water supply reserves for emergency • fire use. • Fuel breaks and greenbelts. • Remove portion of any tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of a chimney or stovepipe. Public Resources Code (PRC) 4291

29. Help firefighters protect homes… 100 foot defensible space Wildland Urban Interface Building Standards

30. It can and will happen again….

31. Thank you to all the stakeholders who collaborated to write the new codes: Dept. of Housing &Community Development California Building Industry Association Cal-Chiefs NorCal Fire Prevention Officers SoCal Fire Prevention Officers League of California Cities California Building Officials Association UC Berkeley UC Cooperative Extension Regional Council of Rural Counties Personal Insurance Federation Western Fire Center C.C. Lewis and Associates

32. Additional Information http://www.fire.ca.gov/wildland.php http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/toolkit http://www.firewise.org http://www.firesafecouncil.org

33. Questions?