Residents Urged to Keep Brush at Bay During This Year’s Unusually Dangerous Fire Season

Pasadena Fire Department officials on Wednesday warned foothill residents that recent rains have fueled concern this year’s summer’s fire season will be particularly dangerous and it’s best that homeowners undertake deliberate brush-clearing now.

The press conference was held in the backyard of a residence in a in hazardous vegetation zone atop the Eaton Canyon Trail.

The Pasadena Fire Marshal recently distributed brochures to residents in the designated zones outlining mandated requirements to comply to a City ordinance that aims to minimize fire danger by controlling the density and location of flammable vegetation.

“The last several years there have been extreme drought conditions throughout the state. And with the recent rains we have some high expectations that there is going to be plenty of vegetation that’s going to be very healthy and ripe to burn. This year in particular, although it’s very great that we’ve received the rain that we really need, we also are going to receive the growth that can spark a large wildfire. We really need our residents to be very very specific and deliberate on the clearance that they’re going to do this year,” said Pasadena Fire Chief Bertral Washington.

These high-hazard areas, which are typically located in and around highly vegetated hillside communities, are referred to as Wildland Interface Areas, which extend from the brushy Arroyo areas up through Linda Vista and the San Rafael hills on the city’s west side, as well as in the Kinneloa Mesa and Hastings Ranch areas on the east.

According to Pasadena Fire Marshal Bryan Frieders, approximately 17,000 residents live within high or very high hazard wildland brush zone.

“The risk in Pasadena is high. But again because we have excellent firefighters because we have an excellent vegetation management plan and a very compliant constituency that lives here we’re very fortunate to not have had a catastrophic incident,” said Frieders.

Every year firefighters start in early April and continue throughout June to inspect all of the high-hazard areas. Residents are urged to follow preventative procedures outlined in the ordinance to prevent the spread of wildfires.

“One of the most important things you’ll see on a lot of the broadcast across California is a lot of homes that have actually survived wildfires. And oftentimes you’ll see one small house in it in a brush area and everything else around it is burned. And the reason that houses survived just because they have created a good defensible space around that home,” said Pasadena Fire Marshal Bryan Frieders.

PFD also sprays a fire retardant called Phoscheck in highly vegetated areas in surrounding hillside areas to address uninhabited areas that go unreached.

Pasadena’s Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance specifically requires property owners to:

• Remove all dead trees and keep grasses and weeds mowed within 100 feet of any building (including those on adjacent property), and within 10 feet of any roadway used for vehicular travel. This does not apply to ornamental shrubbery, trees or cultivated ground cover. In extremely hazardous areas, distances up to 200 feet from a structure and 50 feet from a fence or roadway may be required by the Fire Department.

• Grasses and other vegetation located more than 30 feet from any building and less than 18 inches in height may be maintained where necessary to stabilize soil and prevent erosion. Large trees and shrubs in that area should be 18 feet apart.

• Remove leafy foliage, deadwood, combustible ground cover, twigs or branches within three (3) feet of the ground from mature trees located within 100 feet of any building or within 10 feet of any roadway used for vehicular travel.

• Remove dead limbs. branches and other combustible matter from trees or other growing vegetation adjacent to or overhanging any structure.

• Remove any portion of a tree which extends within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe. Trim and maintain all vegetation away from curbline up to a height of 13.5 feet to accommodate emergency vehicles.

• Maintain five (5) feet of vertical clearance between roof surfaces and any overhanging portions of trees.

The Pasadena Fire Department says that about 95 percent of residents comply with the ordinance.

“I know there’s a lot of controversy about some of the vegetation that exists some of the existing vegetation in particular in our city. But we’re very fortunate in our town that the residents really comply with the vegetation management program that we’ve instituted,” said Frieders who suggested that vegetation management is a year round process and not limited to just hot summer months.

Pasadena was faced with the realities of how small brush fires near urban areas can explode and increase exponentially practically in the blink of an eye.

One of the most devastating fires to ravage Pasadena was the 1993 Kinneloa Mesa Fire where one hundred twenty-one structures, mostly homes, burned to the ground and 40 were damaged.

Over 500 homes were evacuated 29 firefighters were injured.

“Things can be replaced. People can’t,” said Frieders.

As most city ordinances go, the penalty for non-compliance is a fine.

Starting at $61, to be exact, prices can quickly soar to a $298 for a second offense. There is a one month period for residents to correct and comply with inspection protocol, however firefighters want to work with residents and to let them know that extensions are welcomed.

Pasadena Fire Department representatives said they welcome questions from the public, and invitations to discuss vegetation management and other fire-related issues with organizations or individuals.

Call (626) 744-4668 or (626) 744-4655 for additional information or to arrange for a meeting with a Pasadena Fire Department representative or visit www.cityofpasadena.net/Fire/Hazardous_Vegetation_Program.