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Page 1 of 4 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />STAFF REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br />DATE: May 12, 2025 <br />SUBJECT <br />Introduce an ordinance retitling and amending Redwood City Municipal Code Section 12.7.1 to designate <br />Fire Hazard Severity Zones for local responsibility areas as recommended by the California Department of <br />Forestry and Fire Protection <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Waive first reading and introduce an ordinance retitling and amending Redwood City Municipal Code <br />Section 12.7.1 regarding designation of Fire Hazard Severity Zones. <br />STRATEGIC PLAN GUIDING PRINCIPLE <br />Public Safety <br />BACKGROUND <br />On April 1, 2024, CAL FIRE's Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) finalized the State Responsibility Area <br />Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) map. The update process now extends to Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) <br />as mandated by Government Code Section 51178. This law requires CAL FIRE to classify areas into <br />Moderate, High, or Very High fire hazard severity zones using consistent statewide criteria. <br />The FHSZ classifications are developed through a science- and field-tested model that assesses various <br />factors such as fire history, vegetation, flame length predictions, and typical weather patterns. <br />CAL FIRE has identified our jurisdiction as potentially containing Moderate and High Fire Hazard Severity <br />Zones. The finalized maps and supporting data for LRAs were made available to Redwood City on February <br />24, 2025. <br />The original Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) mapping process began in the late 1980s and was based on <br />topography, fuel load, fire weather patterns, and historical wildfire data. These maps have long played a <br />8.A. - Page 1 of 6 <br />480