Improving Fire Hazard Assessment at the Urban-Wildland Interface: Case Study in South Lake Tahoe, CA

A fire hazard assessment was conducted on private, developed lots in South Lake Tahoe, a high fire hazard urban-wildland interface community in Northern California. Fire hazard was assessed in terms of the minimum standards set forth in the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Standard 299 and homeowner practices such as compliance with the fire safety law PRC 4291, construction materials of the home, and irrigation. In addition, the influence on small parcel fire hazard by neighbors was assessed. Results indicated that the overall fire hazard rating for the city was relatively low because of its good roads, water, signage, and firefighting resources. However, the citywide non-compliance rate for property maintenance was 66%, the citywide noncompliance rate for defensible space was 86% when adjusted for small parcel size, and 57% of the parcels were non-compliant for both defensible space and maintenance. Clearly, homeowners in South Lake Tahoe rarely choose for fire safety even though the city’s infrastructure is good. Furthermore, results demonstrate that assessing the city’s fire hazard using NFPA 299 alone will underestimate a parcel’s fire hazard. Including an analysis of compliance rates and homeowner practices will provide a more accurate estimate of individual fire hazard.