City Gets Fired Up Over Brush Clearance

As fire season approaches, the Los Angeles Fire Department is seeking help to complete the herculean task of trying to clear about 8,000 properties of dry, dangerous brush.

The job would be easier, said fire officials, if property owners complied with the new city requirement to cut brush and trim trees that are within 200 feet of buildings and 10 feet from roadways.

But after issuing property owners more than 20,000 brush clearance notices, fire officials say about 8,000 lots remain overgrown.

“It is important to clear your properties of brush for the safety of the surrounding community, and it’s the law,” said Fire Capt. Paul Quagliata, head of the city’s fire prevention bureau.

Fire Chief William Bamattre asked a City Council committee Monday for about $4.5 million to hire inspectors, buy equipment and pay for brush clearance not completed by private property owners.

There is debate about whether the risk of wildfires will be higher this fall, Bamattre said, but “the key is that we need to be prepared anyway.”

Fire officials have so far adopted a triage approach this year, clearing the most hazardous properties first, with others cut and trimmed as time and resources allow.

Last winter’s El Nino-powered storms have yielded thicker vegetation and this summer’s triple-digit temperatures dried the brush, officials said, creating potentially dangerous fire conditions. Brush fire season runs from October to April.

Property owners who fail to obey the clearance requirement will have their lots cleared by contractors hired by the Fire Department. The cost, plus a $250 fee, will be added to their property tax bills.

Fire officials said noncompliance notices have increased this year because the City Council in 1997 began requiring that brush be removed within 200 feet of structures. Previously, owners had to clear brush within 100 feet of buildings.

Seeking better compliance with the law, Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson introduced a motion Friday calling for property owners to be held responsible for the cost of fighting fires that spread from overgrown properties.

“It’s a motivation to people to do the work if they are reminded they are going to be responsible,” he said.

The Fire Department’s request Monday for more money was greeted skeptically by Councilwoman Laura Chick, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee. Chick has been critical of the Fire Department for the slow pace of brush clearance as the wildfire season approaches.

Council members told Bamattre they want more information before granting additional funds.

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Rules for Mountain

Fire Areas

0 to 100 feet from structures

* Grass and weeds: Cut to 3 inches

* Native shrubs: Space a minimum of 18 feet apart

* All shrubs: Trim up from the ground 1/3 of height

* Small trees: Remove lower branches to 1/3 of height

* Trees over 18 feet: Remove foliage within 6 feet of ground

* All trees: No foliage within 10 feet of chimney

* Roofs: Clear of leaves and other combustibles 100 to 200 feet from structures

* Heavy brush: Reduce by 50%

Source: Los Angeles Fire Department