6.13 Public Services – Fire Protection
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6.13 PUBLIC SERVICES – FIRE PROTECTION 6.13.1 OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY Fire protection services would be provided to the proposed project by the Ventura County Fire Protection District (VCFPD) under contract with the City of Camarillo. The VCFPD’s resources are adequate to serve the proposed project, and response times to service calls at the proposed project site would meet District standards. The proposed project site is located near areas designated by the state as medium fire hazard, and by the VCFPD as high fire hazard areas. As the project site is in a fire hazard area, impacts would be potentially significant without mitigation. 6.13.2 LITERATURE AND DATA REVIEW The following sources provided information used in this analysis: • Ventura County Fire Protection District. Unit Strategic Fire Plan. 2016. • Ventura County Fire Protection District. 2014 Annual Report. • John Dodd, Fire Inspector, Ventura County Fire Protection District. 6.13.3 METHODOLOGY Analysis of fire protection services is concerned with response time, firefighter-to-population ratios, and water fire-flow service to the area that is in question. Response times to an area influence the ability of a fire department to serve a development, county, city, or other populated area in a timely and efficient manner. The further a fire department (fire station) is from a populated area, it would be expected that response times would be longer and delayed. An analysis of response times for fire departments serving a development should be completed in order to determine if the fire department has sufficient resources to arrive to a fire or other medical emergency in a timely fashion. The VCFPD’s response time goal is 4 to 7 minutes for all urban areas of the County served by the District.1 Finally, the ability to provide adequate service to an area was determined by the ability to provide fire- flow service to the area. Fire flow is water required for firefighting purposes, usually delivered by a 1 John Dodd, Fire Inspector, Ventura County Fire Protection District, personal communication with Doug Brown, Impact Sciences, September 10, 2008. Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.13-1 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.13 Public Services - Fire Protection system of underground piping and fire hydrants. The International Fire Code2 requires fire flow to be provided for most residential and all commercial properties. 6.13.4 APPLICABLE REGULATIONS State Regulations California Health and Safety Code State fire regulations set forth in Section 13000 et seq. of the California Health and Safety Code include regulations for building standards (as also set forth in the California Building Code), fire protection and notification systems, fire protection devices such as extinguishers and smoke alarms, high-rise building and childcare facility standards, and fire suppression training. California Code of Regulations The proposed project is required to comply with the California Fire Code (Part 9), which incorporates fire codes and safety standards published by the International Fire Code Institute.3 Provisions of the code that pertain to the proposed project include minimum fire flow, sprinkler systems, fire hydrant locations, and standpipe locations. The proposed project would also be required to comply with the California Building Code (Part 2), California Electrical Code (Part 3), California Mechanical Code (Part 4), and the California Plumbing Code (Part 5) in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. The Uniform Fire Code contains regulations relating to construction and maintenance of buildings and the use of premises. Topics addressed in the code include fire department access, fire hydrants, automatic sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, fire and explosion hazards safety, hazardous materials storage and use, provisions intended to protect and assist fire responders, industrial processes, and many other general and specialized fire-safety requirements for new and existing buildings and premises. The Code contains specialized technical regulations related to fire and life safety. Local Regulations Ventura County Fire Protection District The Ventura County Fire Protection District (VCFPD) is a special district and governed by the Board of Supervisors. The VCFPD protects life and property by providing fire prevention, fire education, fire 2 International Code Council, 2006 International Fire Code, n.p.: International Code Council, 2015. 3 California Building Standards Commission, CCR Title 24, Part 9 California Fire Code, 2013. Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.13-2 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.13 Public Services - Fire Protection suppression, and rescue services. The VCFPD operates 32 fire stations that serve the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks, and all unincorporated regions of Ventura County. In 2004, the VCFPD had a staff of 558 full-time employees, including 42 wildland employees. In 2014, the VCFPD responded to 37,414 calls for service. The majority of calls for service were for medical emergencies (26,564 calls for service). The VCFPD responded to approximately 5,900 calls for service within the Camarillo urban area.4 The VCFPD is a partner in the California Master Mutual Aid system and maintains mutual aid agreements with adjoining fire agencies. Besides the actual fighting of fires, a great deal of time is spent by the VCFPD on preventive measures and preparation for combating fires. Fire prevention consists of inspections of buildings, schools, and homes, making recommendations for fire safety, and enforcing the Uniform Fire Code. Fire prevention programs are also sponsored through the schools, service clubs, and other organizations. The VCFPD provides development standards for access, water supply, and fire protection systems. The proposed project would be required to comply with these development standards. The District’s response time standard is 4 to 7 minutes for emergency calls and 9 to 12 minutes for non-emergency calls. The District does not have a set standard for firefighter-to-population ratios, but considers a variety of factors to evaluate service levels including calls for service, population ratios, type of service calls, response times, future building, demographics, trends, and funding sources. The District’s required fire flow is 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) at 20 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi). In addition to providing service within the City of Camarillo, the VCFPD also participates in automatic and mutual aid services with neighboring jurisdictions. The VCFPD is a partner in the Statewide Master Mutual Aid System, which includes Los Angeles City and County Fire Departments, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), United States Forest Service, Oxnard Fire Department, Fillmore Fire Department, Santa Paula Fire Department, Ventura City Fire Department, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and Kern County Fire Department. Ventura County Unit Strategic Fire Plan (2016) The State Board of Forestry and CDF have drafted a comprehensive update of the fire plan for wildland fire protection in California. The planning process defines a level of service measurement, considers assets at risk, incorporates the cooperative interdependent relationships of wildland fire protection providers, provides for public stakeholder involvement, and creates a fiscal framework for policy 4 VCFPD, 2010 Annual Report, 7. Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.13-3 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.13 Public Services - Fire Protection analysis. Ventura County is one of the contract counties that maintain a contractual relationship with CDF, and the California Fire Plan is used within Ventura County.5 Ventura County Fire Protection District Ordinance No. 26 Ordinance No. 28 was adopted by the district and became effective on December 10, 2013. This ordinance repealed Ordinance No. 27 and adopted the 2012 International Fire Code and 2013 California Fire Code with amendments. The adoption of the Ordinance was for the purpose of prescribing regulations governing conditions to life and property from fire, explosion, or hazardous materials within the jurisdictional limits of the VCFPD. City of Camarillo The City of Camarillo Public Works Department enforces a minimum fire flow of 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) for one- and two-family dwellings, and 1,500 gpm for buildings other than one-and two- family dwellings including commercial and industrial areas. The peak demand rate is the peak domestic flow or the fire flow plus half the peak domestic load, whichever is greatest. These flows are minimum requirements.6 The City Public Works Department has also established minimum road widths. The minimum width for a cul-de-sac is 56 feet. A cul-de-sac must have a minimum radius of 56 feet. The minimum road width for a residential minor road is also 56 feet. All other roads have larger minimum widths, except private streets with a limited number of residential units where a lesser roadway width may be acceptable.7 A minimum clearance of 30 feet is required around all structures, increasing to a 60-foot clearance in high grass and low-brush areas and up to a 100-foot minimum in any high-brush area.8 Well-maintained ornamental plantings do not burn readily. The City of Camarillo Municipal Code provides the formula for calculating fire protection facilities fees, which is based on the cost of providing