Gearing Up for Fire Season

The fire season is here, and officials are gearing up for what they fear could be a volatile one.

On the favorable side, the extra rain from El Nino left plants and trees with a higher moisture content than usual.

On the unfavorable side, grass that grew taller and denser because of all the rain has already dried out, which could help ignite the heavier brush.

“If the summer continues to be hot, we’ll lose the advantage of the live fuel moisture. It’s in the bank right now, but we’re doing some withdrawals,” said Battalion Chief Rob Wilmot, chairman of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Brush Committee.

The concern is about areas that haven’t burned recently, especially the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains, from Mulholland Highway down to the San Fernando Valley floor.

The potential for a severe fire increases with each year of accumulating dead brush. And with thousands of parcels in violation of the city’s brush clearance ordinance, the threat is obvious.

Predicting Fire Danger

Several plants such as chamise (right) are monitored regularly in an effort to guage how the fire season is shaping up. During the spring, the moisture content can peak at 200% or more of its dry weight, but by fall is around 60%, which is considered the critical fire danger level.

This fire season, officials expect the overall moisture content to bottom out in the high 70% range.

Chaparral

Common chaparral plants in the area include chamise, ceanothus, laurel sumac, black sage, toyon and manzanita.

* Chamise (Adenostoma fascicula tum). Has needlelike leaves and white flowers that bloom from April to June.

* Habitat

Dry ridges and brushy slopes below 5,000 feet.

* Fire behavior

Highly flammable. Burns fast due to its high resin content.

Clearing Your Land

Although it’s one of the best ways to prevent a major fire--or simply reduce the chance that a fire will engulf a vast area--many property owners aren’t obeying the city’s brush clearance ordinance that requires brush and grass be cleared within 200 feet of any structure and 10 feet of a roadway.

Number of inspected properties:

In the City (‘98): 165,000

Violations: 7,000

Cleaned Up: 21,000

The expense of clearing brush is passed on to the property owner, plus a $250 administrative fee. There is no fine or other penalty, said Capt. Paul Quagliata, commander of the city Fire Department’s Brush Clearance Unit.

To try to discourage landowners from shirking their responsibilities, fire officials have proposed raising the administrative fee to $350 next year.

Preventing Brush Fires

Local fire departments take preventive measures in hopes of reducing the number of fires each year.

Steps include:

* Controlled burns, started intentionally to burn off dead brush, are performed.regularly by the county Fire Department. The city Fire Department, which hasn’t conducted any since the early 1990s, wants a $400,000 FEMA grant to cover the expenses of four controlled burns next year.

* Smoking and open flames are prohibited in the foothills and canyons around Los Angeles.

* When Santa Ana winds start blowing, open campfires may be prohibited in areas like Angeles National Forest. The entire Angeles National Forest is sometimes closed as a precautionary measure when winds kick up or when wildfires threaten nearby.

* Sources: Los Ageles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department.

* Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL/Los Angeles Times