California sets new building codes for areas vulnerable to fire

As wildfires burn across California this summer, the new codes will include some of the strictest standards in the nation for people constructing new homes in high-fire areas from the Oregon border to San Diego and the Sierra to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The rules require the highest-rated roofing materials: double-pane tempered windows so the glass doesn’t shatter in heat; fire-resistant materials for decking and siding; and mesh screens over attic vents to repel flying embers, a common way firestorms spread.

“We have been looking at how we can make houses more resistant to fire. Embers are the real culprit,” said Ernylee Chamlee, chief of wildland fire prevention engineering for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The new building rules are part of a two-pronged state strategy following historic blazes in 2003 that killed 24 people and burned 3,600 homes in Southern California.

The strategy is simple. It is politically impractical to ban all construction in fire-prone areas - just as it would be to ban all construction in earthquake hazard zones. So state authorities hope instead to reduce the chances of homes burning once fires start.

The other component requires rural homeowners to clear brush and trees 100 feet around their homes, rather than 30 feet, the previous standard. Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed that “defensible space” law in 2005, state and local fire departments have written almost no tickets for violators. But that’s changing, too. Fines go up to $500.

“This year, we will be more aggressive. If necessary, we will take enforcement actions to see that the work gets done,” said Cal Fire director Ruben Grijalva.

“Defensible space doesn’t mean clear-cutting everything down. It means thinning. It means being lean, clean and green.”

Both the building and thinning rules affect roughly two-thirds of the land in Santa Clara County.

In particular, property in the foothills east of San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy is affected, along with forested land all along the Santa Cruz Mountains from the Lexington Basin to Los Gatos, and up the Peninsula.

Conflict over rules

The building rules - specifically, chapter 7A of the California Building Code - were developed by a task force of government, industry and environmental groups, but they have sparked some controversy.

Homeowners in Plumas County grumbled about overly aggressive state bureaucracy. Some residents in Woodside have been concerned that towns might expand them to remodeling jobs, or insurance companies might raise rates.

At Lake Tahoe, property owners rushed to get applications in before Jan. 1, when the rules took effect there.

“Every year, they need to find things that will ‘improve structures,’ ” said Stephen Clark, a Saratoga architect. “Some of it is damn good research. Some of it is to keep their jobs. But most of this is worth it. If push comes to shove, this is worth it.”

Fire-resistant materials generally cost more than traditional ones. How much the new rules will add to the price of a new home is unclear.

On average, they should increase costs by $1,800 a home, according to Cal Fire and the California Building Standards Commission.

Clark said they might add perhaps 10 percent to the cost of a new home.

For information on innovative Fire and ember resistant vents go to Brand Guard Vents.

West Coast 911 fire news source - Silcone Valley Mercury News / read entire article