DOCUMENT MODIFICATION DATE: 8/25/2020 Community Wildfire Protection Plan APPROVAL DATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 LOCAL HAZARD PREPARED BY: MITIGATION PLAN WILDFIRE GEO ELEMENTS, LLC PO BOX 461179 LEEDS, UT 84746 805-895-2750 ANNEX www.geoelementsllc.com rem ove INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN MUTUAL AGREEMENT PAGE The Community Wildfire Protection Plan developed for the City of Santa Rosa Fire Department: ✓ Was collaboratively developed. Interested parties, key stakeholders, local fire departments, and federal land management agencies managing land in the vicinity of Santa Rosa have been consulted. ✓ This plan identifies and prioritizes areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments and recommends the types and methods of treatment that will protect the community of Santa Rosa. ✓ This plan recommends measures to reduce the ignitability of structures throughout the area addressed by the plan. The following entities mutually agree with the contents of this Community Wildfire Protection Plan: Recommended by: ____________________________________________________ Tony Gossner Fire Chief, Santa Rosa Fire Department Approved by: ________________________________________________________ Tom Schwedhelm Mayor, City of Santa Rosa Approved by: ________________________________________________________ Ivan Houser Forester, Sonoma Lake Napa Unit (LNU) – CAL FIRE Acknowledgements The following community representatives, agencies, and other stakeholders were involved in the collaborative process in preparation of the Wildfire Annex/City of Santa Rosa Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP): CWPP Steering Committee Dennis Searles – Fountaingrove II Firewise Mark Courson – CAL OES, Region II – Assistant Coordinator Chief Ben Nicholls – CAL FIRE West Division Scott Moon – City of Santa Rosa Fire Operations Department, Fire Marshal Kevin Hubred – Oakmont Firewise Coordinator Paul Lowenthal – City of Santa Rosa Fire Department, Assistant Fire Marshal William Abrams – Sonoma County Resident & Fire Safe Sonoma Board Member Caerleon Safford – County of Sonoma & Fire Safe Sonoma Agency Stakeholder Group C. Alex Gustafson – Right of Way Agent, Ben Nicholls – CAL FIRE West Division CalTrans Operations Dennis Searles President, Fountaingrove II Maggie Robinson - State of California, North Open Space Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Cody Walker – Geologist, State of California, Caerleon Safford – County of Sonoma & Fire North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Safe Sonoma Board Scott Moon – Fire Marshal, City of Santa Rosa David Fowler - State of California, North Coast Fire Department Regional Water Quality Control Board Table of Contents SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Purpose of the Plan ............................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................................ 6 1.3 Policy and Regulatory Framework ................................................................................... 7 1.4 CWPP Planning Process ....................................................................................................... 7 1.4.1 City of Santa Rosa’s Collaborative Approach ....................................................... 8 SECTION 2. COMMUNITY OVERVIEW ...................................................................................... 11 2.1 Assets at Risk ........................................................................................................................ 11 2.1.1 Life Safety ....................................................................................................................... 11 2.1.2 Homes and Neighborhoods ....................................................................................... 14 2.1.3 Commercial Structures and Economy ................................................................... 16 2.1.4 Critical Infrastructure ................................................................................................. 18 2.1.5 Natural and Historic/Cultural Resources ............................................................ 19 2.2 Land Use and Zoning .......................................................................................................... 23 2.3 Fire Protection ....................................................................................................................... 25 2.3.1 Available Resources .................................................................................................... 25 2.3.2 Agreements .................................................................................................................... 27 2.3.3 Responsibility Areas .................................................................................................... 27 SECTION 3. DEFINING THE WILDFIRE PROBLEM ............................................................... 30 3.1 Fire History ............................................................................................................................. 30 3.2 City of Santa Rosa’s Wildland Fire Environment ...................................................... 31 3.2.1 Fire Ecology .................................................................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Climate Change ............................................................................................................. 33 3.2.2.1 Impacts of Climate Change ................................................................. 35 3.2.3 Fire Weather ................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.4 Fuels .................................................................................................................................. 37 3.2.4.1 Urban Fuels .......................................................................................... 38 3.2.5 Topography ..................................................................................................................... 38 SECTION 4. A COMMUNITY AT RISK/WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE ........................ 40 4.1 State/Local Fire Hazard Severity and Santa Rosa’s WUI Areas ..................... 40 1 | P a g e SECTION 5. WILDFIRE ASSESSMENTS .................................................................................... 42 5.1 Wildfire Hazard Assessment ............................................................................................ 42 5.2 Wildfire Risk Assessment .................................................................................................. 43 5.3 Wildfire Damage Potential ................................................................................................ 45 5.4 Ember Exposure .................................................................................................................... 52 5.5 Wildfire Defensibility Assessment ................................................................................. 54 5.6 Safe Separation Distance ................................................................................................. 56 5.7 Speed of Onset ...................................................................................................................... 59 5.8 Firefighting Capacity versus Fire Behavior ................................................................. 61 5.9 Structure Vulnerability ....................................................................................................... 62 SECTION 6. ACTION PLAN ............................................................................................................ 66 6.1 Existing Community Preparedness and Programs ................................................... 66 6.2 Area Notification Systems ................................................................................................. 68 6.3 Social Network and Media Programs ............................................................................ 70 6.4 Protecting Assets ................................................................................................................. 71 6.4.1 Life Safety ....................................................................................................................... 71 6.4.2 Reducing Structure Ignitability .............................................................................. 72 6.4.3 Natural and Cultural Resources .............................................................................. 78 6.5 Fuels Mitigation Strategy .................................................................................................. 78 6.5.1 Existing Fuel Treatment Activities ......................................................................... 79 6.5.2 Proposed Fuel Treatments ........................................................................................ 81 6.6 Vegetation/Fuel Treatment Guidelines ....................................................................... 92 6.6.1 Vegetation/Fuel Treatment Prescriptions ............................................................. 92 6.6.1.1 Evacuation Route Treatment Prescriptions, Implementation Guidelines, and Best Management Practices ...................................................... 93 6.6.1.2 Vegetation/Fuel Treatment Prescriptive Guidelines, Implementation