Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Section 8 – Wildfires City of Newport Beach, California SECTION 8: WILDFIRES Table of Contents Why Are Wildfires a Threat to Newport Beach? ............................................ 8-1 Historic Fires in Newport Beach and Vicinity ......................................................................... 8-1 Historic Fires in California ............................................................................................................ 8-2 Wildfire Characteristics ..................................................................................... 8-6 The Interface ................................................................................................................................... 8-6 Fuel ..................................................................................................................................................... 8-7 Topography ...................................................................................................................................... 8-7 Weather ............................................................................................................................................ 8-8 Urban Development ....................................................................................................................... 8-8 Wildfire Hazard Identification and Regulatory Context................................. 8-9 HUD Study System ........................................................................................................................ 8-9 State Responsibility Areas ............................................................................................................. 8-9 Bates Bill Process .......................................................................................................................... 8-10 California Fire Plan ........................................................................................................................ 8-11 FireLine System .............................................................................................................................. 8-11 National Fire Plan .......................................................................................................................... 8-11 BEHAVEPlus, FARSITE, FlamMap and FSPro .......................................................................... 8-12 Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 ................................................................................................. 8-13 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) ...................................................................... 8-13 National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy...................................................... 8-14 Western Wildfire Risk Assessment .......................................................................................... 8-14 Senate Bill 1241 (2012 Kehoe Statutes) ................................................................................... 8-15 Vulnerability and Risk ...................................................................................... 8-16 Community Wildfire Issues ............................................................................. 8-17 What Is Susceptible to Wildfire? .............................................................................................. 8-17 Elements Critical to Wildfire Fighting Success ....................................................................... 8-17 Road Access ..................................................................................................................................................... 8-17 Water Supply .................................................................................................................................................. 8-18 Interface Fire Education Programs and Enforcement .......................................................................... 8-18 The Need for Mitigation Programs ........................................................................................................... 8-19 Fires After an Earthquake - The Threat of Urban Conflagration ....................................... 8-19 Existing Wildfire Mitigation Activities ........................................................... 8-20 Fire Prevention .............................................................................................................................. 8-21 Vegetation Management .............................................................................................................. 8-22 Hazard Abatement Notices ........................................................................................................ 8-26 Legislated Construction Requirements in Fire Hazard Areas ............................................ 8-26 Public Awareness .......................................................................................................................... 8-28 2014 PAGE 8 - i Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Section 8 – Wildfires City of Newport Beach, California Other Mitigation Programs and Activities ............................................................................... 8-29 Firewise .............................................................................................................................................................. 8-29 Wildfire Resource Directory ........................................................................... 8-29 Local Resources ........................................................................................................................... 8-29 County Resources ....................................................................................................................... 8-30 State Resources ............................................................................................................................ 8-31 Federal Resources and Programs ............................................................................................. 8-31 Other Federal and National Resources .................................................................................. 8-32 Additional Resources .................................................................................................................. 8-33 Publications .................................................................................................................................... 8-33 2014 PAGE 8 - ii Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Section 8 – Wildfires City of Newport Beach, California SECTION 8: WILDFIRES Why are Wildfires a Threat to Newport Beach? Fires have always been a natural part of the ecosystem in portions of southern California due to the region’s weather, topography and native vegetation. The typically mild, wet winters characteristic of our Mediterranean climate result in an annual growth of grasses and plants that dry out during the hot summer months. This dry vegetation often provides fuel for wildfires in the autumn, when the area is intermittently impacted by Santa Ana winds, the hot, dry winds that blow across the region in the late fall. These winds often fan and help spread the fires. Furthermore, many of our native plants have a high oil content that makes them highly flammable. Although wildfires can be highly disruptive and dangerous, the fact is that wildland fires are a necessary part of the natural ecosystem of southern California. Many of the native plants require periodic burning to germinate and recycle nutrients that enrich the soils. Native Americans took advantage of this, and used fire extensively to control their environment by enhancing feed for wildlife, decreasing insects and pests that impact wild foods, increasing the abundance and density of edible tubers, greens and other useful plants, and clearing underbrush to ease travel and provide increased visibility (Anderson, 2006). Wildfires become an issue, however, whenever they extend out of control into developed areas, with a resultant loss of property, and sometimes unfortunately, loss of life. The wildfire risk in the United States has increased in the last few decades with the increasing encroachment of residences and other structures into the wildland environment, and the increasing number of people living and playing in wildland areas. The National Interagency Fire Center estimates that approximately 15 percent of all wildland fires in the United States are started by lightning strikes, with humans causing the rest. The most common human causes of wildfires are arson, sparks from brush- clearing equipment and vehicles, improperly disposed cigarettes, and children playing with matches. Wildfires pose a substantial hazard to life and property in communities built within or adjacent to hillsides and mountainous areas. As the 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009 and May 2014 fires in southern California have shown, the containment of wildfires that consume thousands to hundreds of thousands of acres of vegetated property require the participation of a multi- jurisdictional emergency response effort, with hundreds to thousands of people at or near the fire lines combating the flames, clearing brush ahead of the fire to establish defensible zones, and assisting evacuees. Under the right wind conditions, multiple ignitions can develop as a result of the wind transport of burning cinders (called fire brands) over distances of a mile or more. Wildfires in those areas where the wildland approaches or interfaces with the urban environment