Live fuel moisture around Malibu nears critical level
Michele Willer-Allred, Staff Reporter
11:03 am PDT July 3, 2020
Live fuel moisture levels for the Santa Monica Mountains continue to drop closer to the critical level, serving as a reminder to Malibu residents to get their home fire prevention assessments completed as soon as possible.
During a Public Safety Commission meeting held Wednesday, Fire Safety Liaison Jerry Vandermeulen presented the latest levels as reported on June 25, and the reading stands at 86 percent moisture in the living fuels tested.
He explained that the 60 percent level is critical, which is typically reached sometime in October or November.
This time last year, the same areas monitored were at 98 percent.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department Forestry Division conducts sampling of chamise shrubs approximately every two weeks to determine the live fuel moisture, which is the percentage of water content to dry matter content in live vegetation. Along with hot, dry Santa Ana winds and low relative humidity, live fuel moisture is an important component in determining critical fire danger and red flag conditions.
The most recent Santa Monica Mountains live fuel moisture graph can be found here.
Vandermeulen, a former captain with the Ventura County Fire Department, said the L.A. County brush clearance program deadline was June 1, “so we’re really encouraging people if they have not met that yet to please take care of that.”
Vandermeulen is heading up the city’s home ignition zone assessment program, which provides local homeowners with recommendations for protecting their homes from flying embers.
He said those assessments were temporarily paused because of COVID-19, but resumed in late April. To date, 174 home assessments have been completed.
L.A. County Fire Department Battalion Chief Drew Smith said the department has completed 2,203 structure brush clearance inspections, work they are trying to complete while also handling 9-1-1 calls.
He said the department’s forestry division will also be assisting with the 1,900 inspections that still need to be completed.
Vandermeulen said two Assembly bills are making their way through Sacramento that are important to the city.
AB3074, which on Wednesday moved to the state Senate’s Natural Resources and Water Committee, would require homeowners to maintain a 5-foot clearance space, as well as ember-harden their homes.
The second bill, AB2367, would require companies to continue offering insurance to homeowners in recognized fire communities that have ember-hardened homes.
“This would be pretty significant for us in Malibu for sure,” Vandermeulen said of the bill, which was referred back to committee.