LE-100 Insepctions and Wild Fire Preparedness
Loma Prieta Volunteer Fire And Rescue
Jeff Powell

These are called LE-100 inspections, and are named after the form the inspector fills out. The state of California gives authority for these inspections to local officials. In Santa Cruz county it is our local Battalion Chief and Fire Prevention Chief who decide where and when the inspections will happen. Usually a mailer is sent to those in the area first, advising them that the inspection is coming. Next is a visit from a CAL FIRE crew who fills out the form and advises the residents of any issues. Additional steps can be taken, including citations, fines, and court appearances if compliance doesn't occur.

Since the whole point of these inspections is to make you and your property safer in the event of a fire, it is in your interest to make the recommended changes. Most of the requirements are simple, as spelled out in the Public Resources Code, section 4291, which you can easily find on the internet. In summary:

• Maintain a well cleared area 30 feet around your home. You can have trees and ground cover in this area, but keep them well trimmed and be sure they can't spread fire to any buildings. Limb trees up so they can be easily walked under.
• Maintain a fuel reduction zone out to 100 feet around your home. In this area remove brush and other low growing fuels, thin the trees out to keep them well separated, and limb them up so they can be walked under easily.
• Remove any portion of a tree that comes within 10 feet of a chimney.
• Remove any dead or dying wood from trees that overhang a building.
• Clean leaves, needles, and other flammables from your roof.
• Cover any chimney with a spark arrestor having openings no greater than one half inch square.

In addition to the above an inspection may point out other issues. Be sure all flammables are removed from beneath open decks, and that no firewood is stored against the home. Consider removing abandoned vehicles, and be sure to clear around propane tanks. Your address needs to be clearly posted on the home and any intersections on your driveway in four inch numbers on a contrasting background.

Maintain your roads so fire engines can easily access your property. If we can't get to your home we can't help you in an emergency. Consider your driveway a fire break and trim trees and brush well up and back. (Fire engines are often over ten feet tall, so limb those trees up!) In a large fire, crews make decisions about which houses can be saved and which ones aren't defensible very quickly. If your home is well maintained, with good clearances and access, it is more likely that a crew will be committed to saving it. If your home is so well maintained that it will stand alone during a fire - freeing an engine crew to work somewhere else - that's even better. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but your work could mean your home is still standing after a fire comes through.

Also remember that these are only guidelines. For example, if your home is on a hillside and fire could be coming up towards it, you'll need more than 100 feet of fuel reduction zone. You can learn more from the CAL FIRE website: http://fire.ca.gov/ or you can visit your local CAL FIRE station, where they have copies of printed brochures on how to make your home safer.

Finally, there are programs available to help you chip your trimmings. In Santa Cruz county, you can contact Angela Peterson or John Martinez at 831-335-6740 for more information.

Please do your best to prepare for a fire in advance. Your assistance helps us save lives and property, and it could save your home.