Hydrants Are Less Critical Than These Steps To Defend Against Wildfire

The finger-pointing has begun around the tragic and historic Los Angeles wildfires even as the flames continue to spread and mandatory evacuations remain in place for the Palisades and Eaton Fires.

Low reservoirs and fire hydrants without water in burning neighborhoods in Altadena, Pacific Palisades and elsewhere have been a much talked about flashpoint, drawing criticism from failed mayoral candidate Rick Caruso and Elon Musk, among others.

Officials pushed back, saying the scale of the fires that have destroyed thousands of structures presented an unsustainable challenge for the city’s infrastructure.

The culprit making the clearest contribution in the tragedy are vicious Santa Ana winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour that spread and fanned flames quickly while also making most conventional means of fighting them less effective to completely impossible.

Exceptionally dry conditions also played a role, and while countless people in the media have been quick to attribute climate change as a cause before the attribution science has actually been done, we do know that events like these are becoming more common and extreme in the Anthropocene era live in.

All of the above perhaps make for convenient scapegoats because they’re mostly out of our hands or can be laid at the feet of political opponents in the case of hydrants, reservoirs and firefighting infrastructure.

Building and Keeping Up the Yard in a New Climate Era

It seems self-evident that the infrastructure in question wasn’t built for natural disasters on this scale in a densely populated metropolis. What’s more - the metropolis wasn’t built with megafires from a new geologic era whipped by hurricane-force winds in mind, either.

For at least two decades now, the name of the game when it comes to our new climate reality hasn’t just been mitigation; adaptation is equally important. People who live in wildfire-prone areas are increasingly learning a new vocabulary of phrases like “defensible space” and “Firewise communities” that help individuals, homeowners and communities take charge of adapting and protecting their homes and families.

The Three Zones of Defensible Space Around a Home:

There’s a wealth of information online, but CalFire and others take a zoned approach that’s easy to remember and worth implementing right away .

Zone Zero - Within Five Feet of Your Home:

Arguably the most critical aspect of defensible space is clear the area touching or within five feet of structures of anything that could be ignited by flying embers and then quickly spread to the main structure. CalFire advises homeowners to:

1. Use hardscape materials like gravel, pavers, or concrete instead bark or mulch.
2. Remove all dead and dying plants, weeds, and debris from your roof, gutter, deck, porch, stairways, and under any areas of your home.
3. Remove all branches within 10 feet of any chimney or stovepipe outlet.
4. Limit combustible items (like outdoor furniture and planters) on top of decks.
5. Relocate firewood and lumber to Zone 2.
6. Replace combustible fencing, gates, and arbors attached to the home with noncombustible alternatives.
7. Consider relocating garbage and recycling containers outside this zone.
8. Consider relocating boats, RVs, vehicles, and other combustible items outside this zone.

Zone One - Five Feet to 30 Feet From Structures

For many in urban or suburban areas, this is going to comprise the bulk or even the entirety of your yard. The less dry vegetation the better, according to CalFire’s to-do list:

1. Remove all dead plants, grass, and weeds.
2. Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles.
3. Trim trees regularly to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees.
4. Create a separation between trees, shrubs, and items that could catch fire, such as patio furniture, wood piles, swing sets, etc.

Zone Two - Out to 100 Feet or Property Line

California law actually requires defensible space out to 100 feet in high-risk areas. This can seem like a big buffer but it may drastically increase your peace of mind as well. Here’s what to do:

1. Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of four inches.
2. Create horizontal space between shrubs and trees. (See diagram)
3. Create vertical space between grass, shrubs and trees. (See diagram)
4. Remove fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, and small branches. However, they may be permitted to a depth of three inches.
5. Keep 10 feet of clearance around exposed wood piles, down to bare mineral soil, in all directions.
6. Clear areas around outbuildings and propane tanks. Keep 10 feet of clearance to bare mineral soil and no flammable vegetation for an additional 10 feet around their exterior.

Los Angeles County is no stranger to the concept of defensible space and even performs inspections of properties deemed to be in fire hazard severity zones to ensure property is maintained in a way to reduces potential fuel for fire and materials that flying embers might catch.

Readiness is a Responsibility

From Hurricane Katrina to this new reality of winter wildfires, we have been in a new era of risks to people and property for at least two decades now. It isn’t just about climate change.

The world has grown more complicated and fast-paced than ever before while our institutions and infrastructure have failed to keep up. Worse, they’ve continued to ossify and become increasingly incompetent thanks to bureaucratic and political gridlock powered by our polarized populace.

This is not a critique of the brave first responders on the ground doing what they can to save lives and property within a broken system. Rather this is a call to support their efforts by taking individual precautions to reduce your personal risk and their potential workload.

Every property with 100 feet of defensible space slows the spread of a wildfire. A property that neglects this responsibility if fuel for fire instead, so the stakes are high. A Firewise community or neighborhood that bands together to commit to defensible space can essentially act as a fire break that will not only slow but even stop a fire.

After all, if we can’t depend on hydrants to save the day, it doesn’t seem fair to rely on inspectors from stretched-thin departments to inspect every acre either.

It’s time to take things like defensible spacing and fire-smart development more seriously. Stay safe out there.