Stricter Ban On Wood Roofs Urged : Fire prevention: The proposal would force replacement on existing homes.

Glendale Fire Chief John Montenero this week urged the City Council to give Glendale the state’s toughest brush fire prevention law by forcing homeowners to replace their flammable wood roofs.

He said this would be one way to prevent fires such as the one that damaged or destroyed 66 Glendale residences in June.

Many cities, including Glendale, already prohibit flammable wood shingles on new residences or in a replacement roof.

Montenero’s proposal, based on a suggestion by a councilman whose son lost a residence in the June fire, would go a step further by requiring owners of existing houses to replace their wood roofs within five to 10 years.

Fire experts and roofing industry officials said they were unaware of any other California city that requires replacement of flammable roofs.

“That’s going to cause some interesting court challenges,” said Tim Green, a spokesman for the National Roofing Contractors Assn. “The roofers are glad to do the work, but from the homeowners’ point of view, it’s going to be a problem.”

Green said new roofs cost a minimum of $6,000, but the cost can be significantly higher, depending on which materials are chosen and whether the house needs structural reinforcement to accommodate the new roof.

In a written report reviewed by the Glendale City Council on Tuesday, Montenero and Glendale Fire Marshal Chris Gray said, “The Fire Department recommends the city develop and adopt a retroactive ordinance for replacement of all existing wood shake and shingle roofs. The roof is the most vulnerable part of a building during a home-to-home or brush fire.”

Council members said they would discuss the wood-roof ban and Montenero’s other fire prevention proposals at their annual retreat meeting in Oxnard on Aug. 24 and 25.

The fire chief said Glendale has nearly 6,000 acres where brush grows. Under Montenero’s plan, wood-roof replacement would be tied to a residence’s location on the city’s brush area fire-hazard classification map.

Homeowners in areas designated as having medium, high or extreme brush fire hazards would have to replace their flammable roofs within five years, with a two-year extension available in cases of financial hardship. In low-hazard areas, homeowners would have up to 10 years to replace their roofs.

The fire chief recommended that the city seek federal money to provide low-cost roof replacement loans and that it earmark some redevelopment money for new roofs. He also said the city should work with lending institutions to arrange low-interest roof replacement loans.

“We know this--that it takes a combination of mitigation measures to prevent a conflagration,” Montenero said in an interview. “Conflagration risk involves wood roofs, proximity to brush, exterior construction, proximity to slopes and the added ingredient of the weather.”

The fire chief said he wants Glendale to eliminate one of those risk factors by requiring replacement of wood roofs. “The City Council will make that decision,” he said. “But I’m willing to bring the issue to them.”

Montenero’s plan follows a recent suggestion by Councilman Carl Raggio, whose son lost a hillside residence in the June 27 fire when flames spread from a neighboring house with a wood roof. He has argued that neighborhood safety should take precedence over a single homeowner’s right to maintain a flammable roof.

“The way we live nowadays, one next to the other, we’re really responsible for our neighbors as well as ourselves,” Raggio said at Tuesday’s meeting. “If we put enough emphasis on prevention, we’re going to have an awful lot less need to have the kind of response we had in the fire last June.”

Mayor Larry Zarian said Wednesday that requiring replacement of wood roofs is a commendable idea, but the cost may put too great a burden on senior citizens and lower-income families. “How do you enforce it? How do you finance it?” he asked. “We all want safety. Sometimes the safety is so expensive, it’s unaffordable.”

Zarian said replacing the roof on his own residence last year cost more than $40,000 because of expensive engineering and reinforcement requirements.

The mayor said he supports most of the other fire prevention measures proposed by Montenero.

One of these calls for speedier clearance of hazardous brush on private property. The city has a contract with the county to remove hazardous brush. But fire officials said the notification and removal process can take one year.

Under the fire chief’s proposal, the city would pay for more prompt brush clearance, then seek reimbursement from the property owner.

Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg suggested the city seek volunteers for a brush clearance day, similar to graffiti elimination programs. Fire officials praised the idea but said they would have to consult the city attorney regarding liability issues.

The fire chief also called for replacing native brush on roadside parcels with drought-tolerant, fire-resistant vegetation.

The chief proposed tougher building codes in fire-hazard areas. These would require new residences to be made of more fire-resistant materials, be equipped with automatic sprinklers to protect exposed floor areas and be built at least 30 feet from an adjacent slope.

Montenero also called for new fire education programs for the public and additional training to help city inspectors spot fire hazards.

GLENDALE BRUSH FIRE HAZARD ZONES

An ordinance being considered by the Glendale City Council would require all homeowners to replace their flammable wood roofs. If approved, residents in extreme, high and medium brush fire hazard areas, as defined by the map, would have to replace their wood roofs within five years. In low fire hazard areas, they would have 10 years to replace the roof.