5 Feet for Fire Safety

By issuing an executive order on Feb. 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom has put a rush on developing new rules for limiting vegetation and other flammable materials within five feet of homes and other buildings.

It’s expected that there will be a three-year “grace period” for existing homes to comply once the new 5-foot rule becomes final.

In California cities, it’s expected that the rule will apply only in areas designated by the state as “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ).” A large portion of El Cerrito is a designated VHFHSZ, according to the current Cal Fire map of fire risk areas.

The current map shows that the boundary of the VHFHSZ runs along Colusa Avenue, Avis Drive, Navellier Street, Ganges Avenue and Carquinez Avenue to the Richmond border. The boundary streets and everything above are in the Very High Fire Hazard Risk Zone.

Maps of fire risk areas are currently being changed. New maps are expected to be released soon.

The Executive Order

Gov. Newsom issued the order on Feb. 6 – the day after he returned from a meeting with President Trump about federal aid to help the Los Angeles area recover from devastating fires.

In it, Newsom ordered expedited development of the rule requiring many homeowners to clear a 5-foot “ember resistant” zone around their homes. The distance of five feet surrounding a house is called zone zero because, according to fire safety experts, it should be free of any flammable materials to reduce the chance it will ignite.

To be sure, the rule is not final. However, it’s expected to include banning flammable vegetation and anything else that will burn including bark, mulch and flammable fences including wood fences. It has been reported that mature trees will be exempt if they are “well-pruned and maintained…so as to not form a means of rapidly transmitting fire from other nearby vegetation to a structure,” according to Section 518822 of Government Code.

The rule has been in the works since 2020, when the Assembly passed a bill mandating that Cal Fire create zero zone requirements by 2023. The rule-making process fell behind schedule.

On Feb. 6, Newsom ordered that within 45 days state officials must post a draft of the 5-foot rule and hold a public workshop to gather input on it, then produce a final rule by year’s end, according to the Mercury News.

Who Will Be Affected?

In the executive order, Newsom ordered the state Fire Marshal to provide local agencies and the public with updated fire-hazard maps for areas under local jurisdiction. The Fire Hazard Severity maps are to be released in phases starting Monday, Feb. 10. The new map for the Bay Area should be released on Feb. 24, according to the California Fire Chiefs Association website.

While fire authorities did not say whether the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones will be expanded or made smaller, there was speculation that expansion is more likely. The East Bay Times reported that many homes that burned in the Eaton Fire were not designated as very high risk on the current map.

Make El Cerrito Fire Safe

Sue Duncan is an El Cerrito resident who helped form Make El Cerrito Fire Safe in 2018. The group has been following the progress of the zone zero (five-foot) rule for years and has been working to better protect neighborhoods from wildfires.

Duncan said research has shown that clearing a five-foot zone is an effective defense against fire spreading from one building to the next via radiant heat and blowing embers. Many websites, including that of the State Fire Marshal, agree.

Raising awareness about wildfire prevention and defensible space is one goal of Make El Cerrito Fire Safe. In the case of the zone zero rule, it’s important to let people know now in case they are planning changes to landscaping and fencing, Duncan said.

With knowledge of the coming new rule and best practices to deter wildfire, people can research different ways to create the five-foot clear zone as well as which plants to use and how to use them for landscaping outside the zero zone, she said.

Jim Dolgonas, another member of Make El Cerrito Fire Safe, said he hopes that implementation of the rule will be done using a carrot and stick approach. Some nearby jurisdictions are offering grants to people who will clean up yards to meet new standards. This cost could be a big burden for some people – like those who have lived in their homes a long time and now have overgrowth of vegetation and small incomes, he said.

Red Flag Parking

Make El Cerrito Fire Safe is currently lobbying the City Council for another fire safety measure.

Last year, the group coordinated with the city to run a Red Flag Parking pilot project on three narrow streets in summer and fall of 2024. This meant parking was limited to one side of the street on parts of Terrace Drive, Contra Costa Drive, and Rifle Range Road as long as the Red Flag Warning from the National Weather Service was in effect. A Red Flag Warning for El Cerrito happens rarely, Duncan said.

The purpose of limiting parking is to allow residents to evacuate while first responders enter.

To complete the pilot project cheaply, the group worked with Public Works Director Yvetteh Ortiz to get temporary signs placed on the streets. To educate people about what was going on, volunteers from Make El Cerrito Fire Safe checked for compliance and left flyers on non-compliant vehicles explaining the pilot project.

Now El Cerrito Fire Safe would like the City Council to make the pilot permanent and expand it to other narrow streets. There would be costs involved to post permanent signs and to have city personnel enforce the parking limits.

On Feb. 3, the city’s Community Safety Committee voted to recommend support of the program.

For more information about Make El Cerrito Fire Safe, email: <ecfiresafe@gmail.com>