Loomis adopts fire hazard severity zones

The Loomis Town Council last week adopted fire hazard severity zones required by the state. After statewide wildfire concerns, California Assembly Bill 211 came in 2022, requiring local agencies to designate moderate, high and very high fire zones. The Town was notified late last year that some areas in Loomis would be designated. In February, the state announced 1,143 Loomis acres will be classified as moderate and 1,888 acres as high. No Loomis area has been classified as "very high," staff said. The maps are developed to assign a hazard score based on factors that influence fire likelihood and behavior, according to the state website. Many factors are considered, such as fire history, fuel, predicted flame length, blowing embers, terrain and typical fire weather for the area. While Placer residents worry about insurance, fire hazard severity zone maps evaluate "hazard" and not "risk," state officials said. They are like flood zone maps, where lands are described in terms of floodwater probability, not impacts. "Let me be clear: The CAL FIRE hazard maps are not used for insurance rates or underwriting decisions," said California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. "Hazard" is based on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30- to 50-year period without considering mitigation such as home hardening, recent wildfire or fuel reduction efforts. The Town may increase the severity of a zone but cannot decrease the severity designated by the state. "Risk," on the other hand, is the potential damage a fire can do to the area under existing conditions, including fuel reduction projects, defensible space and fire-proof construction. The Town has established a website (https://loomis.ca.gov/documents/local-responsibility-area-fire-hazard-severity-zones/) and provided information graphics to meet requirements. "What does this mean to me, what does this mean to certain people in Loomis?" said Planning Commissioner Jean Wilson from the floor at the July 8 Town Council meeting. "As they find out about it, that's what they're going to be wondering." With moderate and high fire zones in Loomis, Assembly Bill 38 of 2019 comes into play, staff said. The law requires defensible space and fire-hardening measures for homes in fire-prone areas of California, authorities said. Although Loomis has none, homeowners in "very high" zones must maintain a 100-foot defensible space around their homes and adhere to stricter building codes for new construction and renovations, the state says. Disclosing the zone designation is also required during property sales. A key provision is that real estate sellers in high or very high fire zones must provide documentation of compliance with defensible space requirements. This is done by either requesting an inspection of the property from the fire department or disclosing that an inspection has not been completed, staff said. A map of the Town's Fire Hazard Severity Zones can also be located at the CAL FIRE website.