Jackson Bell
The City Council on Tuesday approved adjustments to the city's fire
ordinances with the intention of making residents who live in the
Verdugo Mountains safer.
The amendment, requested by Burbank Fire Chief Mike Davis, would
require residents in the city's mountain fire zone to install
flame-retardant roofs by Aug. 14, 2005 -- seven years earlier than
the original deadline. In addition, the revision calls for homeowners
to double their brush clearance in the fire zone from 100 to 200
feet.
The council, after much deliberation in past meetings, voted 4-0
Tuesday night to make the changes. Councilman Dave Golonski was
vacationing with his family.
Vice Mayor Marsha Ramos supported the ordinance because she said
it could save lives and homes from such brush breakouts as the
Wildwood Canyon fire, which burned about 80 acres of land next to
DeBell Golf Course in October.
"My sister lives in the area, so it was a pretty scary day for
me," Ramos said after the meeting. "When something like this hits
home, [council members] recognize how important public safety is."
About 30 homeowners who use wood shakes and shingle roofing live
in the fire zone, which includes residents above Sunset Canyon Drive
and Kenneth and Scott roads.
The amendment also pushes the brush clearance line in the fire
zone from 100 to 200 feet, but property owners would have to remove
only 50% of the vegetation in the extended area. Affected residents
must comply by June 1.
"L.A. County and City have the 200-foot [regulation], and Glendale
is looking at it," Davis said after the meeting. "So we're just
pumping it up to meet those standards."
Other homeowners still have to replace their wood roofing by Aug.
14, 2012, but the city will no longer issue permits allowing
residents to cover wood shakes and shingles with other materials.
In another meeting item, council members voted unanimously to
postpone the public hearing regarding the Home Depot appeal to April
27 since Golonski and the two appellants were absent.
