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.
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.
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:
After hauling away over 15 tons of fire fuel from our neighborhood, we deserved a celebration! Terri Mathes, a board member, opened her doors to our community, inviting us to celebrate our accomplishment at her and her husband Jim and wonderful dog Hawkeye’s charming residence.
Guest were warmly greeted by board member Ryan Hunter and his husband J.B.
The celebration was graced with a fantastic array laid out by the Kensington Fire Safe board. The tantalizing spread was a sight to behold.
“And the Oscar goes to…” Each dumpster-minder was presented an “Oscar” as a token of appreciation for their exceptional service to the community, accompanied by a bottle of wine, graciously donated by the KFS board.
The highlight of the event was the arrival of our esteemed guests, the members of Fire Station 18. Their presence was an acknowledgment of our collective commitment to fire safety. They offered their heartfelt thanks before they were urgently called away.
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.
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: “Are there qualified professionals who can inspect my home and tell me how to make it more firesafe?” …asks Kensington canyon resident, Michael Kimmel.
And this month’s KFS Good Neighbor Award goes to Michael – hardening even a single home can help protect others nearby as well! And your award is a definite maybe answer to your question. Here’s some options we found:
Wildfire Home Hardening Specialists/Danny Glessner are NFPA CWMS certified. Danny inspected one Kensington residence – the owner said she was very pleased with his work. (760-822-4822, homehardening@gmail.com)
The Real Estate Inspection Company, said their certification is in process. They charge $399 for an inspection but will provide our readers with a $100 discount if you use code HFH100. (760 203-9682, www.SDinspect.com)
San Diego Fire Rescue Department conducts door-to-door inspection of homes in “Very High Hazard Severity Zones,” which includes most of Kensington. However, with current staffing, it takes approximately 4.5 years to cover the entire city.
If you believe there’s a fire hazard within 100 feet of your home, you can contact the Fire Hazard Advisor. The Brush Clerk will send an advisor to conduct a site assessment. Of course, if they find code violations, you may be issued a citation that can result in fines if you don’t correct the problem. (619-533-4444, https://sandiego.gov/fire/services/complaintinspections.)
Also, owners selling a home in one of these zones must arrange for a “Defensible Space Assessment” as part of the real estate disclosure requirements, which may differ from other inspection requirements. (https://www.sandiego.gov/fire/services/ab38)
For folks with limited ability to harden their home because of physical, economic, or other barriers (1) the Defensible Space Assistance Program has trained inspectors and potential financial assistance. (firesafesdcounty.org/dsap/), and (2) the National Volunteer Fire Council trains Fire Corp programvolunteers to conduct home safety checks. (nvfc.org/programs/firecorps/)
The American Red Cross and partners offer free wildfire preparedness visits where they assess and give tips on the first five feet of defensible space. They also provide free smoke, bed-shaker and strobe alarms. No qualifications or restrictions. (619-354-9609, www.SoundTheAlarm.org\SoCal ).
DIY: Several on-line tools for a do-it-yourself assessment come up on a “home hardening” search, for example:
“Wildfire Prepared Home” – this insurance industry’s designation might get you an insurance premium discount. Their online initial questionnaire is quite comprehensive, but beyond that there’s a fee. (wildfireprepared.org/wildfire-prepared-home-base-assessment/)
Fire Chief Anthony Tosca, who thankfully helped with this info, also highly recommends residents consider establishing a local fire safe council – funding is available to help create a safer community. Heh, Normal Heights, Talmadge, City Heights– how about it?
James McBroom, a NFPA-certified, Alpine Fire Marshall, says it’s time to remove ALL combustible materials from the first five feet around our home exterior. That means no plants, vegetation, wood fencing, mulch, or bark. Replace with rocks, stone, pavers, or just bare mineral soil. Plants in non-combustible pots under 18″ high, might be OK but NOT in front of a window.
Hardening against a fire can be a few simple steps, like small-gauge hardwire on your vents — or more involved and potentially expensive efforts. On the other hand, that could be a piece of cake compared to the cost of replacing your home after a fire. Even if you’re insured, deductibles and gaps in coverage can be significant. Just ask one of the 75 Normal Heights residents who lost their home to the terrible fire in 1985.
Wonder how many of them, like many of us, thought “it can’t happen here!” As Gary Weber, a resident who lived through it told me, “It truly was a firestorm, and I’m not sure that anything could have stopped it once the winds were amplified as they entered the canyons.”
Oh, and an easy hardening opportunity – thin and trim during Kensington Fire Safe’s Fall Dumpathon, September 28 to October 9th to take advantage of our free dumpsters! Locations will be announced on Nextdoor, KFS Facebook page, and our website (kensingtonfiresafe.org/dumpathon/)! Great time to dump leggy, excess or dead greenery before it becomes potential fire fuel!
Thank you Jim Baross for this 1985 Normal Heights fire picture, taken from Jim’s driveway in the 3300 block of North Mountain View. Jim’s house was unharmed except for the door the firefighters broke down, but 75 other neighbors completely lost their home.
Photo curtesy of Richard Miller, a Normal Heights resident since 1976.
By Judy Beust Harrington, Co-Chair, Kensington Fire Safe
This column is your fire safe council’s effort to share answers to questions we get from community members. Send your fire-related questions to info@kensingtonfiresafe.org and we’ll do our best to find the answer!
Q: My own question this time! Lively conversation with a Master Gardener at Kensington Earth Day left me wondering, is eucalyptus the highly flammable bad-boy as we’ve been led to believe?
What’s not to love about eucalyptus trees? Wonderful shade in hot summer months? The roosts, perches, and nests they provide for raptors and other birds? The nesting material their litter supplies local alligator lizards and rat-eating gopher snakes? Or just that these attractive, year-round green trees often smell good and have lots of medicinal uses? (1)
Too bad “some are bullies” according to local, award-winning landscaper, Greg Rubin. Their bad behavior includes crowding out often much less flammable native plants, especially with the aggressive species’ fibrous, greedy root systems that “take no prisoners.” This includes the most prevalent blue gums, initially planted over 40,000 southern California acres starting in the mid-1800’s. Rut Row! Now the California Invasive Plan Council (Cal-IPC ) classifies blue gums as “limited invasive“ — because their significant negative ecological impacts occur in limited areas along the California coast. (2)
Greg says he has no problem with “Eucalyptus citriodora “…beautiful, graceful, non-aggressive large form, that plays nice with our extremely delicate, complex, and non-competitive ecology.”
But back to fire safety. Bottom line: they are not native and don’t belong in our canyons. It’s all about the bark they shed. A well-tended euc in a homeowner’s yard isn’t likely to go up in flames as fast as a wild canyon one with highly flammable detritus at the base accumulating unabated. In fact, according to a National Park Service publication on eucalyptus – “Firefighters also now realize that wildfires are almost impossible to contain in eucalyptus forests.”Want more insights? Consult the NPS Fire Management Newsletter edition on “Eucalyptus; A Complex Challenge” (3)
Moisture Matters Most
Regardless of what kind of tree or plants you put in your yard, Greg says the most important element for fire resistance is moisture. The benefit of native, drought-tolerant plants is that a little water goes a long way, and they’ll retain it better than most non-natives. Nearly two dozen properties Greg landscaped with native plants survived major area fires, without the loss of a single home!
But aside from going native, how can we increase moisture and conserve our precious water at the same time? How about letting winter rainfall increase your ground water with a swale…big, little, mini? Why send that precious runoff into sewers to eventually muck up our rivers and waterways? Greg cites how Dennis Mudd, creator of Calscape.org, runs swales throughout his wonderful plantings. The soil fungi in the swale moves the moisture over to his drought tolerant plantings and greatly reduces the need for watering. That’s because you put compost in the swale and the bacteria in it will over time help break up the clay in the surrounding areas.
I recently put a swale in my front yard to catch the overflow from one of our rain barrels – which starts flowing in 5-10 minutes during a downpour. Now I’m making small ones wherever there’s a low patch where I plan to garden. YouTube has plenty of videos on how to build a swale, but you can check out what I did with pictures at kensingtonfiresafe.org. Have a swale time working on yours!
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!
Coif Your Canyon to Reduce Erosion and Flammability By Judy Beust Harrington, Co-Chair, Kensington Fire Safe Photo Credit (Above): Lucy Warren
This column is your fire safe council’s effort to share answers to questions we get from community members. Send your fire-related questions to info@kensingtonfiresafe.org and we’ll do our best to find the answer!
Q: From Loren, an Alder Circle resident: “What should I plant in my shaded, bare dirt canyon area, to reduce fire and erosion risk?”
A: There was a house on Alder they called the sliding shame… I’m told the back room went right down the canyon decades ago in a heavy rain, probably like ones we witnessed this past winter. This neighbor’s question is timely!
Lists of online drought and fire-resistant plants seem overwhelming, so I reached out to Kensington resident and UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, DeLayne Harmon, and she reached out to fellow MGer, Lucy Warren, a southern California sustainable landscaping expert and writer. (Check out her excellent “California Native Plants” video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K_0mj4h548.)
Lucy’s advice? “My personal one-plant response for slopes: Baccharis ‘Pigeon Point’ mixed with at least four other species.” “Coyote Bush” – as it is also called – is a favorite of your fire safe council! Not only is it fast-growing, drought-tolerant and slope-stabilizing, it also is said to emit a mild flame retardant when faced with a fire. And, while it prefers sun, it can grow in mostly shade too.
What about that “four other species” advice? Check out Lucy’s co-author and popular local landscaper, Greg Rubin’s website on the role of native landscaping in fire suppression. Greg has landscaped homes that came out relatively unharmed while nearby houses were destroyed in wildfires. His years of research for the U.S Navy established that lightly hydrated evergreen, perennial native plants assist in fire suppression as well or better than succulent plants. And diversity can help fight diseases too. More info at Greg’s CalOwn website: https://www.calown.com/nativeEcology_fireSafety.html The local chapter of the California Native Plant Society (https://www.cnpssd.org/ ) has a great pamphlet which lists native plants for area landscapes. And you can narrow info down to your specific needs at gardenplanner.calscape.org.
Plant water!
Another way you might increase your canyon’s erosion and fire resistance is to capture some of the mountains of water that run off your house, with rain barrels and “swales” to safely catch the barrel’s overflow during our rainy season. Swales are basically flat ditches or gutters, which can be filled with rocks, compost, and plants to safely increase your ground water and keep established plants healthy. They can slow a fire’s spread toward your house and keep your trees alive if the day ever comes when we’re prohibited from using scarce water for gardens. Much swale how-to info is available online or search permaculturenew.org for “mini-swales in an urban backyard.” (https://www.permaculturenews.org/2016/01/11/mini-swales-in-an-urban-backyard/).
Bottom line for fire and erosion resistance: no to any dry woody stems, like ice plant, no to invasives like Pampas grass or leaving the ground bare. Yes to harvesting barrels of rainfall to support oodles of attractive native plant diversity! Matchy-matchy is out in jewelry and gardens!
It was standing room only at KFS’s February 11, 2023 home owner insurance presentation by Scott Caraveo. The crowd had great questions about the challenges of finding coverage in California!
Here’s an iPhone video of Scott’s talk in two parts.
If you have additional questions – please send them to us at info@kensingtonfiresafe.org (along with suggestions for future presentations or other fire-related questions you may have for us).
