NorCal FPO – Urban Wildland Interface Committee
Meeting Minutes - June 25, 2004
Vacaville, CA

Committee Members Present:

Kate Dargan – Co Chair

Tonya L. Hoover – Co-Chair

Ethan Foote – CDF

Darrell Jones – Dan Ramon Valley Fire

Ken Blonski – East Bay Regional Parks Fire

Bill Robertson – CDF Napa County Fire

Discussion Items:

1. Committee discussed the defensible space inspector proposal. A meeting was held with a representative of the insurance industry to gain support for the concept. This meeting was favorable. There is also discussion to have language added to a current bill to support the concept. This language will be forwarded to our legislative committee for review and to work with the proposed bill author.
2. Kate is working with UC Davis extension concerning the curriculum for the defensible space inspector licensing. UC Davis will (hopefully) be looking at the materials and give the committee a cost for packaging and having it ready to teach. The committee will start the process of finding qualified instructors and individuals to take the lead on classes. It is the hope that the SFM will support the licensing and will assist. Kate and Tonya plan to meet with SFM Training in the near future to discuss. The committee also hopes to pilot the first class through the FPO Fire Service Education Committee in the fall/winter.
3. The committee will continue to coordinate with our southern counterparts. The south is working on UWI class information for the next workshop. The north will be proposing such information as BEHAVE and Fire Prevention Plans for UWI as topics.
4. Events the committee hopes to be or will be involved in are:
   1. September in Concord – Cal Chiefs annual meeting. The committee would like to propose a panel discussion on the UWI and what the FPOs have been doing to support the Blue Ribbon Report.
   2. California Planners Conference – Kate will be making a presentation to planners from throughout California and discussing UWI and Planning.
   3. Fire Wise in Denver – Both Ethan and Kate will be speaking at this event. Other committee members will be attendance to assist.
   4. California Urban Foresters in Roanoke Park – Ken Blonski will be presenting.
5. Ethan has been working on a damage assessment form that can be used by locals after a wildfire event. This form will soon be on the FPO website for downloading and use. It is the hope if large numbers of persons (departments) are using the same form, we can collect and interpret information better.
6. The committee is tracking AB 3065 (General Plan Law) – this law would require safety element of a general plan to be updated and sent to the State Board of Forestry. The committee continues to monitor and work on several bills in Sacramento that are of concern to the Urban Wildland Interface.
7. The committee will be continuing the work on the proposed Chapter 7A Building Standards for urban wildland interface. There is an upcoming meeting with SFM to continue discussion and get this chapter ready for emergency adoption through Building Standards Committee. Thanks to our Building Standards Committee for their assistance at the "code language". 

Meeting was adjourned for lunch at 12:00. See everyone at the July meeting in Monterey! 

Respectively submitted, 

Tonya L Hoover
Co-Chair, UWI Committee