CITY OF LA VERNE COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN February 20, 2014 Prepared by: Geo Elements, LLC PO Box 461179 Leeds, Utah 84746-1179 This page intentionally left blank. 2 | Page City of La Verne Community Wildfire Protection Plan This page intentionally left blank. 4 | Page City of La Verne Community Wildfire Protection Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 11 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE PLAN ................................................................................................................ 11 1.2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................. 11 1.3 POLICY AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................... 12 1.3.1 Federal Level Policy ................................................................................................................ 12 1.3.2 State Level Policy ................................................................................................................... 13 1.3.3 City Level Policy ..................................................................................................................... 14 1.4 CWPP PROCESS ........................................................................................................................... 15 1.4.1 La Verne CWPP Collaboration .................................................................................................. 16 2. COMMUNITY OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................ 19 2.1 ASSETS AT RISK ........................................................................................................................... 19 2.1.1 Life Safety and Structures ....................................................................................................... 19 2.1.2 Infrastructure and Economy .................................................................................................... 24 2.1.3 Critical Facilities/Infrastructure ................................................................................................ 25 2.1.4 Recreation Facilities ............................................................................................................... 29 2.1.5 Cultural and Natural Resources ................................................................................................ 30 2.2 LAND USE/ZONING ....................................................................................................................... 31 2.3 FIRE PROTECTION ....................................................................................................................... 35 2.3.1 Additional Fire Protection ........................................................................................................ 36 3. DEFINING LA VERNE’S WILDFIRE PROBLEM ................................................................................ 37 3.1 FIRE ECOLOGY ............................................................................................................................. 37 3.1.1 Chaparral Ecology .................................................................................................................. 37 3.1.2 Riparian Oak Woodland .......................................................................................................... 38 3.1.3 Ecological Enhancement ......................................................................................................... 38 3.2 CLIMATE ...................................................................................................................................... 38 3.2.1 Climate Change ...................................................................................................................... 38 3.3 FIRE HISTORY ............................................................................................................................. 39 3.4 LA VERNE’S WILDLAND FIRE ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................. 39 3.4.1 Fuels ..................................................................................................................................... 39 3.4.2 WEATHER.............................................................................................................................. 44 3.4.3 TOPOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................ 46 3.4.4 FIRE BEHAVIOR CHARACTERISTICS ........................................................................................ 46 4. LA VERNE: A COMMUNITY AT RISK ............................................................................................... 47 4.1 DESIGNATION AS A COMMUNITY AT RISK ..................................................................................... 47 5. WILDFIRE ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................ 51 5.1 CALIFORNIA FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES ................................................................................. 51 5.2 HAZARD ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................................. 51 5.2.1 FlamMap ............................................................................................................................... 51 5.2.2 FSPro .................................................................................................................................... 55 5.2.3 Fire Family Plus ...................................................................................................................... 55 5.2.3 Data Sources for Models ......................................................................................................... 55 5.3 HAZARD ASSESSMENT RESULTS .................................................................................................... 55 5.4 RISK ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................................................... 59 5 | Page City of La Verne Community Wildfire Protection Plan 5.5 STRUCTURE VULNERABILITY ........................................................................................................ 59 6. MITIGATION ACTION PLAN ........................................................................................................... 63 6.1 COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS ........................................................................................................ 63 6.1.1 Emergency Preparedness Programs ......................................................................................... 63 6.2 PROTECTING ASSETS ................................................................................................................... 64 6.2.1 Reducing Structure Ignitability ................................................................................................. 65 6.2.2 Water Sources ....................................................................................................................... 66 6.2.3 Natural and Cultural Resources ................................................................................................ 66 6.3 FUELS MITIGATION STRATEGY ..................................................................................................... 66 6.3.1 Existing Fuel Treatment Activities ............................................................................................ 69 6.3.2 Vegetation Management Units ................................................................................................. 69 6.3.3 Private Ownership Lands ......................................................................................................... 70 6.3.4 Prioritization of Fuel Treatments .............................................................................................. 70 6.3.5 Fuel Treatment Levels and Treatment Types ............................................................................ 71 6.3.6 Fuel Treatment Prescriptions ................................................................................................... 72 6.3.7 Fuel Treatment Implementation Timing – Seasonality ................................................................ 72 6.4 EVACUATION ............................................................................................................................... 81 6.4.1 Evacuation Preparedness ........................................................................................................ 83 6.4.2 Repopulation ......................................................................................................................... 85 6.4.3 Evacuation Recommendation ................................................................................................... 85 7. FISCAL RESOURCES AND CONSTRAINTS ....................................................................................... 89 8. MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING ............................................................................................. 91 8.1 CWPP REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................. 91 8.2 FUEL TREATMENT MONITORING ..................................................................................................