The Newport Beach Fire Department will host an informational meeting on the State’s new Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map for Newport Beach. The map is the result of Senate Bill 1595, which became law on January 1, 2009, and amended Government Code Section 51175. The law requires the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to identify and classify fire hazards in each Local Responsibility Area throughout the state.
Landowners whose property is located within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) must provide a minimum of 100 feet of defensible space from any occupied dwelling or structure. Defensible space is the area between a habitable structure and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the threat of fire.
In Newport Beach, where most lots are smaller, the defensible space would be from the habitable structure to the property line. The Government Code mandates cities and counties to require that fire mitigation measures, such as removing flammable vegetation, are taken on properties within the identified VHFHSZ.
The State’s new maps expand the area encompassed within the VHFHSZ in Newport Beach.
The new map can be viewed at the Newport Beach Fire Department Administration Office (Building D) located at 3300 Newport Boulevard, Newport Beach, CA 92663, by visiting www.newportbeachca.gov/firehazardmap or calling the Newport Beach Fire Department at (949) 644-3361.
The CAL FIRE website contains an extensive list of questions and answers about Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in local responsibility areas at www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/fire_prevention_wildland_faqs.php
