The Rancho Santa Fe Association is preparing to send defensible space maps to every federal homeowner. Through their partnership with FireWatch, aerial imaging will provide residents with a new tool to create defensible zones of space around their homes that can help slow the spread of forest fires, protect lives and property.
Caitlin Kreutz, the association’s environmental coordinator, also hopes that FireWatch cards can help increase the insurability of real estate, as a number of residents of the convention have lost their insurance policies due to the high risk of fire.
A FireWatch Information Town Hall was held in July, and as the association prepares to provide maps to homeowners, they have heard questions about privacy and information sharing. Kreutz addressed some of these concerns at the September 2 board meeting.
“The fire brigade is not allowed to come to private property with the cards without permission or issue a reduction notice,” said Kreutz.
Dave McQuead, deputy chief of the Rancho Santa Fe Conservation District, said the district must see a potential fire hazard in person from the public right of way. The fire department district authority is 30 meters from a structure and 15 meters from the road.
While the maps enable every resident to see what is happening on their own property at the community level, according to Kreutz, the maps provide information about the type of vegetation, distribution and health, as well as the proximity to buildings and roads. With the cards she can apply for grants for clearing areas along the streets and for the club’s own open spaces.
For the fire brigade, mapping supports fire protection planning, a tool for managing escape routes and identifying open spaces to reduce risk.
“My mission is to protect life, property and the environment through preparedness, prevention and education, and when those three don’t work it goes to emergency response,” said McQuead.
With hardened data on what’s out in the community, he said the RSF firefighters and other emergency services will have better information to fight wildfire.
Kreutz said the association will give homeowners the opportunity to sign out: residents will receive their own card, but it will not be passed on to a fire authority.
On July 1 of this year, a new state law on seller responsibility came into force. When selling a home in a zone with a high or very high risk of fire, the defensible space must be maintained and signed by the fire department before the sale can be carried out.
“That will change a lot of things on the ranch and now directly connects the justifiable room clearance with the real estate values,” said Kreutz.
There are currently defensible space zones within 30 feet and 30 feet of the property. Assembly Bill 3074, which was passed last year, also creates a third zone for the defense area. The law requires that the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
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