Fire chief urges public to send letter to state fire marshal
State reassessing proposed changes to the west side of Paso Robles’ fire hazard severity rating
– The Paso Robles Fire Chief Johnathan Stornetta is asking local residents to mail a form letter supporting the reassessment of the west side of Paso Robles’ fire hazard severity rating to Daniel Berlant, acting state fire marshal/deputy director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The content of the letter reads as follows:
Director Berlant,
The intent of this letter is to express our gratitude to the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) for reassessing the proposed changes to the Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) located on the west side of the City of Paso Robles, within San Luis Obispo County.
Previously, the OSFM had proposed changing the FHSZ on the west side of the City from “High Hazard Severity Zone” to a “Very High Hazard Severity Zone”, which would have placed excessive and unnecessarily restrictive conditions on our community members. The suggested change to “Very High” would have required the adoption of new building and fire codes, which would add approximately $50,000 in construction costs on a single-family residential dwelling, in a community already contending with a housing shortage and high cost of living. Additionally, the proposed change had the potential to add significant monetary consequences to the homeowner’s insurance premiums in this area.
It is for these reasons, that we applaud the OSFM decision to reexamine our geographically unique factors in the modeling inputs and algorithms and preserve the “High Hazard Severity Zone” classification. By seizing this opportunity to explore the historical fire data dating back to 1848, consider the potential flame lengths generated by local fuel loading (vineyards and almond groves), and evaluate the regional weather conditions and terrain, the OSFM has produced a stronger and more informed result that is mutually beneficial to both the OSFM and to our residents.
Click here for the form letter.
Watch Stornetta’s recent presentation at a Paso Robles City Council meeting below (presentation begins around 12:50):
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