Reducing the Risk of Fire in Rolling Hills

By Spencer L. Karpf

Reducing the risk of fire throughout Rolling Hills should be the number one priority of the City Council

Again, in August 2009 a brush fire threatened Rolling Hills and while it did little structural damage, but for the Santa Ana winds not coming up the morning of August 28th, we could have lost significant portions of our community. As one Council Member recalled at a meeting where I confronted the Council for not taking the risk of fire more seriously, "Yes, we dodged a bullet that time." And indeed we did.

Below is a link to the Daily Breeze article on the 1973 fire which also discusses the August 2009 fire. Pictures from both fires, contained in the article, are frightening.

http://blogs.dailybreeze.com/history/2014/11/07/the-most-destructive-brush-fire-in-south-bay-history/

I believe that enhancing fire safety by reducing fire fuel in the canyons, particularly on the North side of Crest Road where there has not been a fire to thin out the fuel in over 50 years, is the most compelling issue facing both the City and the RHCA. Despite the compelling nature of the issue, the City Council has failed to act in any significant way.

Yes, it did hire a consultant and after implementing some of the "low hanging fruit" recommendations, the report was filed. The RHCA did little of anything in following the consultant's recommendations.

After several years of appearing before the Council to encourage it to take more substantial actions to reduce risk to the community of a major fire and seeing no results, I raised the issue in a more forceful manner with both the Council and the RHCA with a strongly worded letter and by providing lists to both of remedial actions that they could consider to carry out their respective responsibilities to protect the community from a disastrous fire. This was in May of last year.

Neither did anything noteworthy. So, later in the year I attended another City Council meeting and another RHCA meeting and directly confronted each member of the Council and each member of the RHCA Board pointing out their personal responsibility if their continuing failure to act resulted in a fire that caused death or injury to residents or their pets and livestock.

Needless to say, you could have heard the proverbial penny drop. While no actions have yet emerged from either organization, I've been led to believe that things are being considered. Our governing bodies need to move faster. They have had five and one-half years since the 2009 fire when we "dodged a bullet". We should not have to rely on our athletic ability for the community's protection from a tragic fire.

I believe that addressing the issue of fire safety in our unique and wonderful community is the single most important matter facing the Council today. As a Council member I assure you that I will do everything that can be done to ensure that it is addressed in a meaningful way that preserves the community's esthetic.