At Monday’s City Council meeting, the Fire Department will present a final draft of the Wildfire Prevention and Protection Action Plan for consideration and approval by the City Council. The Plan, which has gone through substantive changes since its first debut in draft form at the January 22, 2019 City Council meeting, outlines 38 wildfire prevention goals, including updating the City’s vegetation management standards, expanding existing wildfire prevention programs, and implementing new programs and projects. Since the January 2019 presentation, we created FAQs, presented at numerous community meetings, and got feedback from hundreds of residents and business owners online. Based on what we heard, we made some revisions. In addition to reorganizing the format of the Plan to make sure it’s easy to understand, we also made some significant changes, including:
- Increased inclusion and acknowledgement of unique needs of renters, low-income property owners, and people with access and functional needs;
- Maintenance and fuel reduction in open space parking lots; and
- Efforts to incorporate technology providers into education and planning efforts, just to name a few.
The Wildfire Prevention and Protection Action Plan is a comprehensive one–and well worth the read. You can find out more by visiting our website, or you can check out the staff report below.