Kensington Fire Safe

“Fire-ey Questions …from Your Neighbors” article in the January 2024 edition of the MetroView.

By Judy Beust Harrington, Co-Chair, Kensington Fire Safe

Kensington’s fire safe council will share researched answers to inquiries from community members here. Please send your fire-related questions to info@kensingtonfiresafe.org.  Pictures really appreciated too!

Q:  From Kensington resident Cynthia Offenhauer: “Hi KFS!  On daily trips from Kensington to Talmadge, I see so much overgrown brush around Aldine, Fairmount, and Montezuma – not only a fire hazard but in some areas, impossible to see entering or exiting traffic. Do you know the schedule for trimming some of this?  Can’t we trim like Chula Vista is doing?

A:  Cynthia – We’re sure you’re not alone in wondering about this. There’s likely both public and private property in these areas, although I suspect most of the area is public.

Public Property

We checked with the San Diego Fire Department in November and were told that crews were currently working in “Area 5” which includes a significant amount of land from Mission Hills to Montezuma, and north to Kearney Mesa, and covers Aldine, Fairmount and Montezuma canyons.

Parks and Recreation Open Space Project Officer, Laura Ball, clarified for us that brush management for open space work is actually overseen by their department.  They focus on thinning and pruning public open spaces that are within 100 feet of a structure.  I’m hoping that by the time you read this, some of that brush is gone.

There’s an online “Brush Management Schedule” which lists which areas are currently being targeted and a projected timeline for completion. https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/brushprioritymaplist.pdf

The phone number for questions on Open Space Brush Management is 619-685-1350.

No DIY on City Property

The City of San Diego initially charged a homeowner $53,000 for “cost recovery” for clearing brush in land behind their house, which turned out wasn’t their property but rather part of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. The charge was later re-negotiated.  While the homeowner was apparently trying to make their house safer from wildfires, the city maintains – and our research concurs – far less fire-resistant, non-native species take over in cleared lands. So make sure that’s your backyard, before tackling overgrowth.  https://hoodline.com/2023/07/san-diego-man-fined-53k-for-trimming-bushes-that-he-says-pose-fire-risk-to-his-property/

Private Land

Some parts of the canyons Cynthia mentions are likely private property – like  the finger ones between Aldine and Adams. As of this writing, nine of those lots – 2.78 acres – are for sale and zoned for limited residential development. 

San Diego Fire-Rescue Fire Prevention Bureau Message Line (619-533-4388) helps arrange engine and truck company inspections of private property. This can occur when there is a complaint, but they also conduct routine brush management inspections on homes in the high fire severity zones – which includes all this area.  These door-to-door inspections primarily for canyon rim homes are done every few years.  Kensington area was inspected early in 2023.  The online “Open Boundary Map”  shows where these assessments are currently in process.  https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/boundary_map_sept_2023

When requested to do an inspection for a pending house sale, the department charges $118. (http://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/fire/pdf/brushpdf.pdf)

Fire Safety Champions: Chula Vista?

Using a FEMA grant, Chula Vista did massive excess brush thinning and removal in some of their finger canyons, as explained by Fire Captain Andy Wilson on our local NBC news. The plan is to develop a dedicated team to do this, funded by a sales tax increase approved by voters in 2016. 

San Diego already has dedicated Parks and Rec Dept. but does also engage contractors to help cover most of our open space.  However, a number of agencies are also responsible for some areas.  You can learn more details in the Brush Management Audit was that was recently approved by City Council. (See https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/24-01_performance_audit_of_the_citys_brush_mgmt_city_owned_land.pdf

From Performance Audit of the City’s Brush Management on City Owned Land, July 2023

By the Fire Safe Way…

Density-Danger & Insurance: KFS and others continue to be concerned with ADU apartment buildings going up in canyon rim communities.  After much research, we’re convinced added ADU apartment density is going to further the already high cost and low  availability of insurance for homeowners and renters in ADU and the adjacent blocks as well.

We’ve asked that, prior to granting higher density permits in these canyon rim areas, state and city officials consider, #1 requiring some investigation of insurance availability for the new ADU apartment building, #2 pro-active notice to nearby neighbors of the permit application, and #3 the opportunity for local community input.   Please make your voices heard if you agree.

Free Home Assessments: Fire Safe Council of San Diego County is now accepting applications for their free Home Assessment Program This includes trained staff looking at your property’s vulnerability to wildfire and ember ignition along with resilience recommendations for you to consider. Applications to sign up will be available in January, 2024. More info at: https://firesafesdcounty.org/hap/

Generous Kensington residents did it again! Our mailing list donors helped fund a great season’s greeting to our treasured Felton Street firefighters: a $750 gift certificate for Iowa Meat Farms’ delicious meats and groceries.  

We thought this was a good follow-up to the donated, professional-grade grill we were able to secure from Lowe’s last April for Station 18. You can read more about this collaboration here.

We delivered our gift last week to the firefighters and they were so appreciative – exclaiming,  “We love Kensington!”  They’re looking forward to enjoying a steak, chicken or fish during a memorable cookout.

Thank you once again, Kensington, for being part of this meaningful initiative. Your generosity is sure to brighten up the season for our local heroes.

Wishing you happy holidays,

Kensington Fire Safe Board of Directors

By Judy Beust Harrington, Co-Chair, Kensington Fire Safe

Kensington’s fire safe council will share our researched answers to inquiries from community members here. Please send your fire-related questions to info@kensingtonfiresafe.org.  Pictures really appreciated too!

Q: “What does Kensington Fire Safe think about new, multi-unit ADUs along the canyon rim?”  …asks local resident, Sandra Johnson.

A: Sandra, we’re not experts on much of anything, but as someone who lives where the 1985 Normal Heights fire destroyed 75 houses– you’ve no doubt heard a lot about how fast that fire spread, how far embers flew, and the challenges of evacuating a lot of folks quickly.  

Apparently Sandra and her neighbors are now facing an “accessory dwelling unit” issue head on with a nearby Normal Heights property, where nine – yes, NINE –  additional units are planned on a small, single-family lot.  State law only requires that one ADU and one “junior” ⁽¹⁾ ADU be allowed in a single-family zone, but as many of you have no doubt read, San Diego has chosen to go significantly beyond that limited but pretty reasonable requirement.

Of course, more affordable housing is essential for San Diego, but doesn’t common-sense scream against adding a lot of density to City and State-designated “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones” (VHFHSZs – not a great acronym).  

Turns out, like most things, the situation is much more complicated than it looks, as Sandy helped us discover.  Some of the issues:

Is Code Compliance Enough?

The City’s Bonus ADU program allows virtually unlimited housing units in the city-designated “Sustainable Development Areas.”⁽¹⁾  However, developers are required to meet upgraded codes that further dictate approved materials and construction methods to mitigate exterior wildfire exposure. With Sandra’s help, we reached out to Fire Department officials with some very specific questions and learned that there are significant fire-resistant requirements that do make an enormous difference in the home’s survival rate.  

In the 2017 Thomas Fire, more than 90 percent of the structures destroyed were reported to have fire-resistant construction.^.(2)   Maybe upgraded codes since then would help bring that percentage down, but how much? While it sounds like the newer standards reduce the likelihood of embers igniting a structure, thus slowing the fire’s spread, they don’t render homes fireproof. In the event of a blaze, occupants must still get out fast. 

A study of the 2018 Camp Fire showed that distance from nearby structures was one of the strongest predictors of a home surviving the blaze ⁽³⁾  There’s no way around the fact that ADUs can radically reduce the distance between residentials structures. Just look at these pictures of some current ADU additions, curtesy of Neighbors for a Better San Diego.

Density Dangers

Will more people reduce safe egress?  A quick look at a Google Earth map shows how extremely limited escape routes are in many of our canyon areas. In some cases, streets nearest the canyons have only one narrow street in and out. Prime example: East Alder area, the site of a canyon fire in 2019.  Increasing our “population-to-evacuation route ratios” may increase dangers to residents and firefighters.  Should probably make that a definite “will.”

More people, less water pressure?  One of the reported issues in the Normal Heights fire was lack of sufficient water pressure.   Although water pipes in some neighborhoods have been upgraded, what is the potential impact of this much additional density on the water system?  We couldn’t find evidence that issue was addressed.

More people, more resources?  The city can’t keep up with current canyon brush management needs – yet alone do more to protect a higher population on the canyon rim.  And will our firefighters get more resources when more fires start in additional kitchens, backyard BBQ grills or fire pit flames?   Kensington already had some large flames from a BBQ grill on Alder.

Added homeowner insurance challenges?  Large developers can self-insure, but individual homeowners and renters increasingly face few options, as major insurers withdraw from our market, deny coverage, or impose unmanageable rate increases.  It’s not hard to believe that additional density in canyon areas won’t cause insurers additional reasons to stay away.

Of course, California insurance Commissioner Lara is allowing more rate-setting flexibility to entice insurers to stay or come back.  Overall good news – maybe the FAIR plan won’t go broke – but it likely means ever-higher rates.   Some residents may then feel forced to go bare and end up in even more dire straits in the event of a fire destroying their home.  While no one died in the flames of the 1985 Normal Heights Fire, we’ve been told there were deaths soon afterwards, many of whom were elderly and had no insurance to cover their loss.

Are Just Our Canyon Rim Areas VHFHSZs?

Trying to limit excessive density increases in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones sounds reasonable on the surface, but with over 150 urban canyons, close to half of our city is designated very high fire hazard!  So that idea is pretty much DOA.  

It’s the City’s Bonus ADU program that apparently allows virtually unlimited ADUs within one mile walking distance from a major transit stop. According to a Neighbors for a Better San Diego analysis, in our city, 40.3% of the 65,010 parcels that one-mile covers are also in VHFHSZs.⁽⁴⁾    But, again, State law only requires that one ADU and one junior ADU be allowed on a single-family zoned lot.  Changing that to half a mile away from a major transit stop could reduce that number of included parcels to 27,871, although 31.6% would still be in VHFHSZs.  A huge improvement, but is half a mile away always far from a canyon rim?

What to do?

The issue is far more complex that I fully understand or could cover in this article, but no matter what, increasing density in communities very close to canyons defies common sense. One or two small ADUs should be enough where there’s extra high fire risk, we shouldn’t have a nine-plex going up on a canyon rim. 

Please make your voice for fire safety heard!

• A junior ADU is one built in space in the existing single-family home and has less than 500 square feet. It can have a shared bathroom but has to have its own kitchen.  https://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-research/docs/faqsadujr.pdf
• Normal Heights houses Fire Resistance
• Camp Fire showed that distance from nearby structures was one of the strongest predictors of a home surviving the blaze 
•  https://24177d05-6343-4dee-b81f-1f65b033ba25.usrfiles.com/ugd/24177d_2264c4be7ed441e49ba604a978e2dc88.pdf

The story is simple. We provide the dumpsters, you provide the fire fuel in the form of your canyon and yard trimmings. We haul away over 15 tons of potentially flammable green waste and that makes Kensington safer from wildfire. When all the work is done we come together as a community to celebrate our achievement. The Fall 2023 Dumpathon marked yet another success!

A huge round of applause for our 15 dedicated dumpster-minders, the unsung heroes who graciously allowed us to place a dumpster in front of their homes for ten days. While we weren’t able to capture a photo of everyone, we extend heartfelt gratitude to all the volunteers. Here’s a glimpse of some of our remarkable individuals:

The celebration was graced with a fantastic array laid out by the Kensington Fire Safe board. The tantalizing spread was a sight to behold.

With renewed spirits, guests enjoyed the remainder of the gathering, fostering a sense of camaraderie and community spirit that resonated throughout the celebration.

The Fall 2023 Dumpathon was more than just a cleanup; it was a testament to unity, shared responsibility, and the significance of coming together as a community for a safer future.

Funding for the Dumpathon is provided by The San Diego Regional Fire Foundation, SDG&E, The San Diego River Conservancy and Kensington residents.

Pictured L to R: Back row, Captain Scott Fuller, Lowe’s Store Manager, Pablo Sanchez and Supervisor, Carey Soderberg. Front row: Kensington Fire Safe Board Co-Chair, Vicki Pinkus, Treasurer, Amy Dyson, Co-Chair, Judy Harrington; Secretary, Gayla Pierce;  Firefighter Lauren Thiel and Lowe’s Assistant Manager, Manny Rodriguez.

Kensington Fire Safe through Co-Chair Judy Harrington was able to support Station 18 in getting a new BBQ pit by calling Lowe’s assistant manager, Manny Rodriguez.  Mr. Rodriguez worked with Lowe’s management to secure a gift certificate toward the cost of a top-notch grill, which they agreed to sell at cost, and KFS board members decided they would chip in to cover the balance. 

But when Captain Scott Fuller, Firefighter Lauren Thiel and KFS board members showed up on April 24th to purchase the grill, they were delightfully surprised to hear that the store managers decided to cover the full cost, and the firefighters could keep the gift certificate for other needs. 

“We just felt so appreciative of all these brave firefighters do to keep us all safe, and we wanted to do more,” said Manny Rodriguez. “And they deserve some great barbecued meals!”

Kensington Fire Safe Co-Chair, Vicki Pinkus added, “Our community really values the job these men and women do for us, and we’re so pleased that they gave us the opportunity to help.”

“It’s always great to connect with the community when there isn’t a fire,” Fire Captain Fuller said.  “We’re so grateful to Lowes and Kensington Fire Safe for helping us out with this beautiful new grill. We will put it to great use!”

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Station 18 is located at 4676 Felton St in San Diego.

Kensington Fire Safe, a volunteer, non-profit, 501(c)(3) that promotes fire safety in Kensington and surrounding communities, is a fire safe council under the auspices of the Fire Safe Councils of San Diego County.  KFS is funded through grants from the FSC of SDC, San Diego Regional Fire Foundation and SDG&E, as well as residents’ donations.

Kensington’s second successful Earth Day, held Saturday, April 23, included KFS volunteers giving out firefighter hats to the kids and lots of fire-safety info to the adults, plus great giveaways courtesy of the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County.  Many folks signed up to be on our mailing list and asked some important questions.  This annual event is sponsored by TreesKenTal, and we’re happy to support their efforts to reduce global warming by providing more trees for Kensington and other communities!