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After thousands of homes were destroyed by the Los Angeles fires in January, local jurisdictions are on high alert for wildfire. State Sen. Josh Becker hosted a virtual wildfire town hall with Woodside Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Kimberly Giuliacci and Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Chief Executive Officer Seth Schalet on Feb 18 to educate communities on how they can protect themselves and their neighbors.
According to Becker, D-Menlo Park, California has been making large investments toward wildfire prevention and management by increasing budgets for Cal Fire, technology and staffing.
Over the past five years, the state has increased its budget for Cal Fire to $4 billion annually and doubled its firefighting force to 12,000 people, he said. California also has built the largest civil aerial firefighting force in the world with dozens of FireHawk helicopters, tactical aircraft and air tankers, Becker added.
The state also has committed $2.7 billion for wildfire mitigation and millions of dollars toward additional firefighters, personal protective equipment, drones, artificial intelligence and LiDAR, or light detection and ranging, for wildfire detection.
Multiple legislative efforts aimed at creating a more fire-safe California will be introduced this year as part of the Senate’s wildfire legislative package titled, “The Golden State Commitment,” led by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire.
On Feb. 12, Becker and Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, introduced SB326, the Wildfire Mitigation Strategic Planning Act. This new legislation will create a framework to better align state, federal, industry and private wildfire prevention actions to protect communities.
How to protect your home from a wildfire
Experts say that a combination of dry vegetation, natural disasters, warmer weather and high winds are all ingredients to increased wildfire risks.
A wildfire can ignite in many unexpected ways and houses can act as quick fuel to the blaze. Giuliacci said homeowners can harden their homes to make them resistant to wildfires and that the community can mitigate the spread of flames.
She encouraged homeowners to reduce fuel around their properties by maintaining, pruning and removing lower branches of trees. It’s also important to harden external structures such as additional dwelling units, sheds and detached garages, Giuliacci said.
“During a wildfire, your house may never get those firefighters there to protect it. It’s going to have to stand on its own and defend itself for a long time before anybody can get there,” said Giuliacci.
Home hardening techniques include building with ignition-resistant materials, strategically planting landscape and maintaining an ember resistant zone in the first five feet from your home. This is also referred to as “Zone 0.”
On Feb. 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to accelerate its work to adopt Zone 0 regulations, which are expected to move forward this year. It will require new and existing construction to develop an ember-resistant zone in fire-prone areas. Cal Fire will be giving existing homeowners three years to prepare their homes to meet the standards of this code, said Schalet.
Local jurisdictions will be enforcing these Zone 0 regulations for homeowners in wild-urban interface communities across the state.
This means that the five-foot zone around a home should be paved with gravel, concrete and other ember-resistant materials rather than bark, greenery and mulch. Dry and dead vegetation and flammable debris should also be removed.
Schalet explains that vehicles should also be moved out of this zone because they emit radiant heat, which could cause an ignition.
Wooden fences attached to homes can act as a key conduit to the spread of wildfire, he said. Zone 0 regulations will require flammable fencing and gates to be replaced with noncombustible alternatives.
The highest priorities in hardening homes start with replacing vents, roofs, attached fences and cleaning gutters, said Giuliacci.
“It’s really important that when you have those red flag warnings or those severe weather storm notifications that you start taking the precautions,” said Giuliacci, who added that homeowners should bring flammable outdoor furniture indoors in such instances.
Households should have evacuation plans with how to exit the house and the neighborhood. It’s encouraged to take only one vehicle when evacuating to prevent traffic congestion, said Giuliacci.
Wildfire threats are increasing
What was known as fire “season” is now considered a fire “year,” according to data presented by Schalet. The trends show that compared to 20 years ago, wildfire season is starting six to eight weeks earlier and lasting eight weeks longer. Worsening droughts are also impacting the increase of wildfires.
According to Schalet, Cal Fire’s hazard severity maps for 2025 will be released in San Mateo and Santa Clara County on Feb. 24. These maps highlight areas of high and low wildfire risk across the state. They were last updated in 2009 and the new version will introduce an area of moderate concern.
“I think particularly in our area, we’ll see more areas moved into the high and very high fire severity zones,” said Schalet.
The Santa Clara FireSafe Council is increasing its efforts to prepare for and detect early signs of wildfire by using AI technology known as N5 smoke detection sensors. There are currently 50 installed across the southern Peninsula.
The organization is also working on restoring ecosystems and watersheds “to provide resiliency,” said Schalet. The midpeninsula is currently facing sudden oak death and other trees killed by insects. Repairing watersheds is necessary to prevent trees from drying out and becoming kindling for wildfires, he added.
Resources for wildfire mitigation
For more information on wildfire prevention and safety tips visit woodsidefire.org/community-resources and sccfiresafe.org.
To receive emergency alerts in San Mateo County sign up for SMC Alerts. Residents of Santa Clara County can join Alert SCC. For evacuation warnings, community members can download the Genasys mobile app which will directly send you updates during emergencies and information on when and where to evacuate to.
Giuliacci also encourages people to visit wpv-ready.org for more information on emergency preparedness and Firewise communities.
“I just urge everybody to get yourselves educated, get yourselves prepared and start knowing that this is the wave of where we’re going,” said Giuliacci.
