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MOFD Adopts Worthless Wildfire Severity Zone Map

May 21, 2025

 

After discussing the issue at two board meetings (April 16, 2025 agenda item 10.1 and May 21, 2025 agenda item 2.1), acknowledging that the proposed map as provided by CalFire in places made no sense, and receiving public comments objecting to the proposed map, the MOFD Board voted unanimously to accept that map as provided by CalFire.

 

Two obvious flaws in the map include:

 

Wilder is designated on that map as being the highest level of wildfire risk severity, after MOFD designated it in 2022 a “shelter in place” community (MOFD Resolution 22-09).  According to an article in the Orinda News (June 2022 - www.theorindanews.com/2022/05/26/mofd-recognizes-wilder-as-shelter-in-place-community/): “Wilder is the first community outside of Rancho Santa Fe, in San Diego County, to get this designation.”

 

In 2023 MOFD certified virtually every property in NE Orinda (Orinda Downs), over about a square mile, as wildfire code compliant.  Yet, the new wildfire severity zone map specifies this area also at the highest risk of wildfire.  If these properties are actually code-compliant and the code is designed to reduce risk to minimal levels, how can they still be at the highest risk level?

 

If MOFD will not create a viable map of wildfire risk in Orinda, it is up to the city to do MOFD’s job for it, and examine ways to either make MOFD a viable service provider or find an alternative for the $23 million a year Orindans are paying for the service.

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Impact of Wildfire Code Compliance on Wildfire Risk.png
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