San Jacinto Mountains Community Wildfire Protection Plan Draft Final Riverside County Mountain Area Safety Taskforce March 2006 Photo by Ron Perry Prepared for: Riverside County Mountain Area Safety Taskforce 210 West San Jacinto Avenue Perris, California 92570 Prepared by: ESRI 380 New York Street Redlands, California 92373-8100 Table of Contents Section Page 1.0 Executive Summary........................................................................... 1-1 1.1 CWPP Goals ............................................................................................... 1-2 1.2 Key Issues Identified in the CWPP............................................................. 1-2 1.2.1 The Definition of Wildland Urban Interface ................................... 1-2 1.2.2 Community-Prioritized Fuel Treatment Projects............................. 1-3 1.2.3 Abatement and Ignitability .............................................................. 1-3 1.2.4 Insurance.......................................................................................... 1-4 1.2.5 Evacuation ....................................................................................... 1-4 2.0 Introduction ....................................................................................... 3-1 2.1 Goals ............................................................................................................ 3-1 2.2 Plan Location............................................................................................... 3-1 2.3 Demographics .............................................................................................. 3-2 2.3.1 Characteristics of San Jacinto Mountains Communities ................. 3-2 2.3.1.1 Governance....................................................................... 3-3 2.3.1.2 Transportation................................................................... 3-3 2.4 History ......................................................................................................... 3-3 2.5 Climate......................................................................................................... 3-4 2.6 Extreme Weather Events............................................................................. 3-4 2.7 Partners ........................................................................................................ 3-4 2.8 Relationship to Other Plans ......................................................................... 2-5 2.9 Grants/Current Funding............................................................................... 2-7 3.0 Planning Process................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 Coordination and Planning .......................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Process Overview........................................................................................ 3-2 4.0 Wildland Urban Interface ................................................................ 4-1 4.1 Considerations ............................................................................................. 4-1 4.2 Description of the WUI Boundaries ............................................................ 4-2 4.3 Community Legal Structure and Jurisdictions in WUI ............................... 4-3 C13277-1/b i March 2006 Section Page 5.0 Community Descriptions ................................................................. 5-1 5.1 North ............................................................................................................ 5-1 6.0 Forest Conditions and Wildfire in the Plan Area.......................... 6-1 6.1 Topography and Fuels ................................................................................. 6-1 6.2 Fire History.................................................................................................. 6-1 6.3 Weather Factors........................................................................................... 6-1 6.4 Natural and Existing Fuel Breaks ................................................................ 6-1 6.5 Fire Threat Analysis..................................................................................... 6-2 7.0 Values at Risk.................................................................................... 7-1 7.1 Communities................................................................................................ 7-1 7.2 Infrastructure................................................................................................ 7-1 7.2.1 Water................................................................................................ 7-1 7.2.2 Energy.............................................................................................. 7-1 7.2.3 Communication................................................................................ 7-1 7.3 Watershed .................................................................................................... 7-1 7.4 Viewshed ..................................................................................................... 7-2 8.0 Fire Protection Capability ............................................................... 8-1 8.1 Locally Applied Fire Policies ...................................................................... 8-1 9.0 Community Preparedness................................................................ 9-1 9.1 Vegetative Fuel Abatement ......................................................................... 9-1 9.2 Insurance...................................................................................................... 9-2 9.3 Evacuation ................................................................................................... 9-2 10.0 Community Action Plan................................................................... 10-1 11.0 Environmental Concerns ................................................................. 11-1 12.0 Monitoring Plan................................................................................ 12-1 12.1 Administrative Oversight and CWPP Monitoring....................................... 12-1 12.2 Document Maintenance............................................................................... 12-2 12.3 Grants/Funding ............................................................................................ 12-2 C13277-1/b ii March 2006 Section Page Appendix A—Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................ A-1 Appendix B—Public Comments to the Draft............................................ B-1 Appendix C—Community Meeting Notes................................................. C-1 Appendix D—Notes from Community Workshop ................................... D-1 Appendix E—Maps...................................................................................... E-1 Appendix F—Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 ............................ F-1 Appendix G—Riverside County Mountain Communities Citizen Evacuation Guide................................................................ G-1 Appendix H—Fire Threat Methodology ................................................... H-1 Appendix I—Glossary ................................................................................. I-1 C13277-1/b iii March 2006 Riverside County Mountain Area Safety Taskforce San Jacinto Mountains Community Wildfire Protection Plan—Draft Final 1.0 Executive Summary The primary mission of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce (MAST) and the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) is to prepare for and mitigate the likelihood of a disastrous fire in the mountain communities while restoring the forest to a healthy state. Restoring forest health within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), as defined in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), not only benefits the communities in the forest but also protects the forest itself. Reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the mountains also protects the communities located below the forest from potential flooding and debris flows. In the process, the organizations focus on helping residents and visitors to understand that they do not live in houses with trees in the yard but rather in a forest with houses in it. The CWPP is authorized by the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA 2003). HFRA emphasizes the need for federal agencies to collaborate with communities in developing hazardous fuel reduction projects and places priority on treatment areas identified by communities themselves through development of a CWPP. Priority areas include the WUI, watersheds, areas impacted by windthrow, insect or disease epidemics, and critical wildlife habitats that would be negatively impacted by a catastrophic wildfire. The CWPP requires agreement among local government, local fire districts, and the state agency responsible for forest management. The CWPP must also be developed in consultation with interested parties and the applicable federal agency managing the land surrounding the at-risk communities. Riverside County third district supervisor Jeff Stone and staff have been strong supporters and advocates of this plan. As a public safety advocate, Supervisor Stone commends the diligent effort of MAST and the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council. This CWPP is an exemplary example of how community partnerships work to improve a neighborhood's quality of life. This plan addresses the needs of communities from the top to the bottom of the San Jacinto Mountains. This inclusiveness