As San Diego County’s second-largest city continues to grow, emergency planning documents show its wildfire management isn’t keeping up.
Firefighters with Chula Vista’s new fuels crew clear a section of overgrown lemonade sumac in the canyon next to Kumeyaay Park on June 25, 2024. The three-year program was launched in 2023 and is focusing on the most dangerous canyons.It was the new growth and development that brought Juan Escorcia back to Chula Vista. But sometimes, it’s also the growth that worries him.
Chula Vista has transformed over the last decade, spreading to the east. Thousands of people have moved into the city, making it one of the Chula Vista was the largest city in the county to rate its exposure to wildfire risk as “extreme,” meaning that a major fire could affect more than three-quarters of the city. Four other cities also reported extreme risks from wildfires: Escondido, Poway, San Marcos and Vista. The city of San Diego said its exposure was “moderate.”
In Chula Vista, it’s been more than a decade since a major wildfire burned near the city. The Harris Fire in 2007 burned right up to homes on the eastern side. “We have several areas of the city that we're not able to reach annually,” said Chula Vista Emergency Services Manager Marlon King, who authored the wildfire sections of the city’s hazard plan. “With over 30 open space areas and a limited budget and a limited amount of staff within our divisions, you can't get to all of these areas.”
Still, city fire officials said the growth of shrubs in the valleys is happening because the city hasn’t set aside enough money to manage the growth of vegetation and the creation of defensible space.Chula Vista Emergency Manager Marlon King stands for a portrait at City Hall in Chula Vista on June 20, 2024. King authored section of the city's Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Plan on wildfire risk.
Wilson said the crew is prioritizing the most dangerous canyons and has managed to significantly clear out three of them so far. Still, fire officials admit that most of the risks outlined in the hazard plan have remained largely the same since it was updated last October.of another fire prevention specialist during budget talks. Instead, city leaders voted to hire nine firefighters to serve at the new Bayfront fire station.
Carmignani and other experts said there are a number of steps that homeowners and renters can take to prepare for the next fire, including free or relatively inexpensive measures.An assessment team walks around the building with the resident, flags potential fire hazards, and then writes up a personalized report of recommendations and resources. The reports are confidential, and renters and homeowners anywhere in the county can apply.
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