City of Big Bear Lake Reduces Wildfire Risk: Part 2

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In 2007, the City of Big Bear Lake, California, was named a Fire Safe City by the national Firewise Communities program.  Firewise Communities/USA is a project of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team that involves homeowners, engineering professionals, home builders, planners and community leaders to take measures to reduce the risk of wildfires through the proper maintenance, design, landscaping and construction of homes.  Approximately 300 cities in the United States participate in this program.

The City of Big Bear Lake, which is 2 hours east of Los Angeles, is adjacent to the San Bernardino National Forest.  While communities around Big Bear have been affected by wildfires, this city has not been touched in the last 107 years.  According to David Yegge, Big Bear Lake's Fire Fuel Technician, there are 150 tons of dead combustible fire fuels in the San Bernardino National Forest, and it is only a matter of time before these fuels start a forest fire which will inevitably affect their community.  To minimize the effects of such a fire and to protect their homes and businesses, the legislators and residents of Big Bear have come together to make their town fire safe.

In Part 1 of her story about Big Bear Lake's fire safety measures, FDNNTV.com's Brie Tennis outlined the two major components of the Big Bear Valley Community Wildfire Protection Plan, fire fuels reduction and the replacement of shake shingle roofs.  In Part 2, Brie goes in depth to discuss the community's chipping program, the educational program that they offer to residents  and contractors for fire safe construction and landscaping, and aspects of their Fire Resistant Construction Ordinance for new structures.

Through the San Bernardino National Forest Association's Forest Care Project, residents of Big Bear Lake can receive financial aid to create defensible space around their property by clearing brush and dead trees.  To assist with the clearing of these materials, the City of Big Bear Lake offers a Neighborhood Chipping Program to residences within 1500 feet of the National Forest.  Residents can call the city to let them know that they have materials that they would like to remove.  They can leave the vegetation curbside, and the Public Works Department will bring their wood chipper to the site and will begin chipping the materials.  Simultaneously, other Public Works trucks will pick up excess material and bring it to an off-site chipping facility. 

The City of Big Bear Lake also has an ordinance that governs the construction of new homes.  This law requires that fire-resistant materials be used to build new structures.  For example, all decking needs to be made with Class 1 fire resistant material, and the roofs must be constructed with a Class A Composite Shingle.  An optional part of the code includes using non-combustible siding. Micah Chappell, the Senior Building Inspector for the City of Big Bear Lake, warns that these structures can still burn, since concrete is the only material that is 100% fire safe; however, using these materials will create a line of defense that will give firefighters a better chance of saving these buildings and will help to keep the fires from spreading further into the community.

In conjunction with this, the City of Big Bear Lake also offers classes to contractors, landscapers, and the general public which inform them how to build new structures and landscape existing and new structures in a fire safe manner.  These classes help people become compliant with the city's ordinances, and it gives them knowledge of good general fire safety practices.

David Yegge says that the City of Big Bear Lake hopes to be an example to other communities with their wildfire prevention measures.  Other communities that are interested in adopting similar protection plans may contact Firewise Communities/USA for resources that will help them get started.