Creative FireScaping: What Next?

GRASS VALLEY — Recognizing the urgency of preparing for fire, the California Office of the State Fire Marshall (OSFM) has updated its Fire Hazard Severity Zone map. Effective April 1, 2025, the map adds previous “local area responsibility” areas (such as cities) to the map. The defensible space zones that already affect much of the state will now apply very nearly everywhere.

For several years, pushed by worry and insurance companies, as well as the OSFM, most rural residents have been expected to move briskly to reduce and manage vegetation around their homes in five increasingly rigorous zones, ranging from “Zone Five” (up to 100 feet out from structures) to “Zone Zero” next the buildings.

In “Zone Zero,” for example, the requirements expect homeowners to have basically nothing but gravel or cement – nothing flammable in the first five feet around the structure. It’s a depressing prospect, evoking dismay and outrage. Heart-breaking stories abound of beautiful, mature foundation plantings sacrificed to soul-less safety.

Not So Fast!

There is, however, a bit of hope. Under the skilled, committed leadership of Duane Strawser, City of Grass Valley (GV) Community Risk Reduction Manager, additional options are under active scrutiny.

But first of all, who is this guy?

Raised in Mariposa, educated at Sonoma State, Strawser learned early to focus his attention on the value of teamwork and setting clear, achievable goals in athletics, music, and other pursuits.

Strawser has worked in air pollution control and as a Fire Safe management analyst. He was the long-time co-owner of Nevada City Bicycle, served three terms as Nevada City Councilman/Mayor, and knows how to fight fires driving a bulldozer.

Though realistic about inevitable disagreements, Strawser welcomes inquiries with a focused, open-minded energy, convinced that careful listening is a key to the creative, win-win outcomes he prefers.

What is the trajectory of his effort?

Noting that the original fire hazard regulations were written decades ago, Strawser sees an urgent need for updates reflecting current knowledge about fire science and vegetation. The OSFM’s information (see “Resources” below), written before the newest mapping became effective, said, “The hazard mapping process will incorporate new science in local climate data and improved fire assessment modeling in determining hazard ratings.”

Strawser maintains the OSFM’s newest directives don’t fit small, established communities very well, and he looks forward to pushing back against a one-size-fits-all model with better information and more specific science. Over the next years, he sees Grass Valley as a source of new data that will demonstrate to the State the effectiveness of a more nuanced approach. He hopes it will provide a helpful model for other similar communities.

What can Grass Valley homeowners hope for in the short term?

Strawser believes, “Together we can creatively come up with fire safety approaches for GV residences and commercial structures that support the visual quality of life our citizens expect. We have a plan, and we’re working on it.”

What can he (and we) learn from other jurisdictions impacted by this update?

Strawser is energetically throwing a wide net looking at appropriate options from the neighborhood level to the international. “You always need input from others,” he emphasizes. What do leading landscape designers know? Master gardeners? Native plant aficionados? Concerned bystanders? Contractors? Fire scientists? Biologists?

What’s the timing for all this?

With a sense of urgency Strawser is actively doing the research and legwork, and looks forward beginning soon to sharing reliable, consistent information with the local community.

Strawser knows residents want safety now, but they also want it done right. Already the City of Grass Valley is actively engaged in bringing its own properties up to snuff, modeling the behavior it will be requiring of others.It will take a while to clarify exactly what those will be, and then to educate affected homeowners and businesses. Although it’s too early to set a firm date, expect Defensive Space Inspections of GV’s 6,500 privately owned properties in a year or so.

And in the meantime?

In addition to cleaning up City properties, Strawser is already working actively with developers to encourage defensible, attractive, water-wise plantings as part of the basic planning for new projects, including negotiating adjustments to some previously approved, but as yet unplanted, landscaping.

Strawser is prepared for lots of questions, and he welcomes them. He is clear that while this is an urgent matter, it needs to be a supportive, educational process, not a punitive one.

Resources

In Grass Valley, call Duane Strawser at 530/274-4346 or email him at firesafety@cityofgrassvalley.com.

In other jurisdictions contact the county Office of Emergency Services for accurate, current information.

California Office of the State Fire Marshall - https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/community-wildfire-preparedness-and-mitigation/fire-hazard-severity-zones