Scars From Firestorm Keep Oakland on Constant Vigil : Preparedness: Disastrous ’91 blaze leads to new activism. City scans hills for hazards and presses reforms.

When contractor James Servais saw smoke billowing in the Oakland hills last week, he knew just what to do: He raced to his truck, grabbed the fire hose and hooked it up to a nearby hydrant.

Construction workers rebuilding houses destroyed in the huge Oakland fire two years ago dropped their tools, picked up the hose and attacked the wind-driven flames that shot 30 feet in the air. By the time the Fire Department arrived 11 minutes later, the volunteer firefighters had the blaze under control.

“I don’t want to be a victim any more,” said Servais, who lost two homes in the 1991 fire and now keeps a fire hose in his truck. “The bottom line is, no matter what kind of Fire Department you have, there are never enough people so we have to get citizens back involved.”

The new activism of volunteers is one sign of the changes that have taken place in the Oakland and Berkeley hills since California’s worst fire killed 25 people and destroyed 2,810 homes.

Oakland, which got poor marks for its handling of the fire, has taken such steps as setting up its own weather stations in the hills and buying an infrared scanner so its helicopter can hunt for hidden embers. The city also required flameproof building materials for new construction and modified its fire hydrants so firefighters from other cities can hook up.

With a new tax assessment approved by voters, the city also moved aggressively to clear vegetation in the hills--even bringing in goats to eat brush in inaccessible areas.

“I think the city is much better prepared than it was two years ago,” said Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris. “We learned a lot. After the storm, people always get a little complacent. But in this case I think we have maintained our vigilance.”

Offering its experience this past week, the city sent officials to Southern California to help fire victims there, in particular by offering guidance on the establishment of one-stop centers to aid victims in rebuilding.

At Oakland’s emergency centers, burned-out residents could meet with representatives of the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, replace a driver’s license, stop a newspaper subscription, transfer phone service, find information about lost animals, get mental health counseling and obtain information about insurance reimbursement or home rentals.

Two years later, the centers have evolved into a place where victims can process permits for rebuilding their homes and arrange to hook up their utilities without delays faced by other builders.

When the fire broke out in the Oakland Hills on Oct. 20, 1991, the Oakland Fire Department was unaware of the high fire danger that day and was poorly prepared to deal with a major crisis.

“We were criticized for not being responsive to a red flag alert,” said Fire Department spokesman Don Parker. “But we were not in the loop. We didn’t even know that the California Department of Forestry had issued a red flag alert. Now we pay more attention to the weather.”

Oakland’s new municipal weather stations provide immediate readings on temperature, winds, humidity and the moisture content of brush. When the readings indicate a high hazard, the Fire Department begins patrolling danger areas and responds with more engines to any reports of fire.

The 1991 conflagration began from a brush fire that firefighters thought they had extinguished the previous day. Now, firefighters are ordered to stay with a blaze when conditions are hazardous and to turn over the soil to make sure the fire is out.

During the huge fire, the region’s water supply system was so overloaded that some firefighters ran out of water. Now, the city is buying four trucks with miles of hose that can pump water from San Francisco Bay or a distant water main.

Similarly, the city has purchased a new communications center to replace the radio system that was so overwhelmed that dispatchers could not send fire engines to the proper locations.

Firefighters from other jurisdictions who came to Oakland’s aid in 1991 found that the city had a different size hydrant hookup than nearly every city in the state. Oakland is converting all its hydrants to match the equipment of other cities.

Another critique in the wake of the 1991 fire--that help and residents trying to evacuate were hampered by narrow, winding roads--proved more difficult to solve. Although some streets have been widened, most were not. Instead, the city has imposed strict limits on street parking in the hills.

In the aftermath of the Oakland blaze, the state Legislature passed a law requiring fire-resistant roofs in high-fire areas, effective in 1995. Oakland approved even tougher restrictions that took effect immediately, requiring new roofs to meet the strictest standards for fire resistance.

In addition, siding on homes must be able to tolerate high heat for an hour without igniting and attics must be vented so that heat does not collect and cause houses to explode.

“In the Berkeley and Oakland hills there have been five major fires in the last 100 years and each time they would rebuild just like before,” said Assemblyman Tom Bates (D-Oakland), who represents the burned area and sponsored the state measure. “Maybe this time the message got through.”

One reason the 1991 fire was so disastrous was the vast amount of dry vegetation in the hills. This year, out of 16,000 properties inspected, about 4,000 were cited for overgrown brush or for not having spark arresters on their chimneys. Property owners who do not correct the problem will find the work done by the city and the cost tacked onto their property tax bills.

In areas where it is difficult for crews to work, the city has contracted with a goat herder whose goats can clear about an acre of brush a day, even eating the poison oak. “They eat anything and everything,” said former Oakland City Councilwoman Marge Gibson Haskell, who lost two homes in the fire.

In another step to help prevent another disaster, fire departments have agreed that engines will disregard city limits when a fire is reported in the hills. When the alarm sounded for the Oakland fire last Wednesday, 11 engines from four jurisdictions converged on the neighborhood.

Recognizing the limits on its emergency services, however, Oakland also has begun training hundreds of volunteers in how to deal with disasters such as fires and earthquakes.

“They can’t always wait for the Fire Department,” Mayor Harris said. “We’re starting a volunteer fire reserve so there will be more people available to help in a disaster.”

* ARSON SQUADS: Police, firefighters plan special patrols to deter arsonists. B1