Living on edge in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone
Smoking and open fires have long been forbidden in hillside areas of Los Angeles in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) and enforcement has been an on-going issue. It’s a fact that homeless encampments have been brought up on many occasions with City agencies — directly by the BAA and concerned residents with Councilmember Koretz's office, and at the Bel-Air/Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council level with City agencies.
We are hopeful that Councilmember Koretz’s Special Motion is an important start to finally get State, County and City agencies to work together and effectively address the danger in which we hillside residents find ourselves.
SMOKING: The BAA thanks those residents who have observed, documented and reported people smoking on our hillside roads; a difficult problem to enforce because LAPD officers must personally witness the infraction before a citation is issued.
The perpetrators are usually people who do not live here — they are visitors, or just passing though, or temporarily working in the area — and they either do not understand or care about the serious consequences of flicking a lit cigarette butt out a car window, or a work site, or lighting open fires that emit embers.
The BAA Emergency Preparedness Committee will take hard look at our FHSZ signage on our roads. To participate in this endeavor, you are encouraged to contact the Bel-Air Association office at info@belairassociation.org or call (310) 474-3527.
Links below are to articles and videos some may find of interest:
FIRE CHASERS: Netflix - With 6,986 fires across 564,835 acres in 2016 alone, California’s wildfires have hit epidemic proportions. From the makers of the DEADLIEST CATCH, follow the courageous men and women putting their lives on the line to battle these wildfires daily. Now streaming on Netflix.
FACT SHEET: California’s Fire Hazard Severity Zones (Cal Fire)