Lake Elsinore Approves Brush Fire Protection Deal

Fire officials have been sounding ominous warnings about the 2013 fire season. Lack of rain and warm temperatures have jump started one of possibly the most dangerous fire seasons on record.

To plan for the worst while attempting to save taxpayer dollars, Lake Elsinore City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday night to approve a Wildland Fire Protection Agreement with Cal Fire.

The city already contracts with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department for fire protection services. The city budgeted just over $4 million for fire services in Lake Elsinore for the 2012/13 fiscal year.

Under the two-year agreement approved Tuesday night, the city will pay an added $49,731 annually to Cal Fire beginning July 1, 2013 to cover costs of fighting wildland fires in the city, no matter how expensive the bill gets.

Not including the cost of fire retardant or water, a helicopter runs anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 a day, a smaller air tanker costs about $2,649 per hour, and a larger air tanker can run about $14,524 a day, Cal Fire Chief Mark Barr explained. Firefighters, trucks, engines, and other equipment and supplies are costly as well, he said.

“This can really escalate quite quickly,” Barr said of the expenses.

Without the Wildland Fire Protection Agreement, Barr explained the city could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars if a big brush fire spreads into Lake Elsinore city limits.

The "billing" system on brush fires is complex. Costs to tackle blazes that break out in regions known as “State Responsibility Areas” are paid for by the state. City lands adjacent to SRAs are considered “Mutual Threat Zones” and therefore the city does not incur all costs associated with fire protection.

However, some city lands are not Mutual Threat Zones. If a wildland fire threatens these areas, the city must bear the brunt of costs to fight the blaze.

It's the unprotected areas, or “islands,” that are worrisome for city officials. In Lake Elsinore, Country Club Heights and land around Railroad Canyon Road were identified by Barr as islands, and therefore very costly to protect against brush fires.

Under the Wildland Fire Protection Agreement, those areas – a total of 2,217 acres in all -- will be treated as SRAs.

Barr explained that not only would the city save money if a blaze threatens the areas, response times would be quicker and more robust. When fire breaks out in an SRA, Barr said he has approval to immediately dispatch all necessary resources. But when brush fires spark in non SRAs, the chief said he is required to go on scene and assess the situation before calling in costly added resources.

Council members supported the Wildland Fire Protection Agreement.

“This is like buying house insurance,” Councilman Daryl Hickman said. “I think this is definitely a win-win for the city.”

Councilman Brian Tisdale wanted assurances that, if massive wildland fires burn across the county, Lake Elsinore will get priority treatment if directly threatened. Barr and Cal Fire Division Chief Todd Williams said when resources get stretched, federal agencies are called in to assist and under the agreement there would be no added cost to the city.

Under the new agreement, all of Lake Elsinore gets added protection without the increased costs. 

“There are really no uncovered areas,” Barr told Patch.

To help protect the city and county this year, Mayor Bob Magee requested that fire officials push to get the Martin Mars on Lake Elsinore. The massive air tanker is one of the largest firefighting aircrafts in the world, with a wingspan of 200 feet (larger than a Boeing 747). Magee said if his request is granted, water from Lake Elsinore can be scooped up by the “big red duck” at no charge.

Barr and Williams could not promise the Martin Mars would be stationed at Lake Elsinore, but they offered to pass the mayor’s offer to officials.