How we plan for pre-fire management
We work with subject matter experts who specialize in assessing wildland fire risks. We use specialized technology to map different risk factors. Ultimately, this tells us which areas in Marin County are at highest risk of damage from wildland fires. With this information, we can use techniques like vegetation management to lower the risk of damage.
We plan for pre-fire management in Marin County. CALFIRE assesses and plans for fire hazards in State Responsibility Areas (SRAs). CALFIRE then classifies these areas as being at moderate, high, or very high risk. Learn more about CALFIRE fire hazard severity zones.
Factors we assess
When we’re assessing fire risks, we look at different factors, including:
- Hazardous fuels. When wildfires ignite, fuels can cause them to burn more quickly and at a higher intensity. When we assess wildland fire risks, we evaluate the location and quantity of fuels.
- Assets at risk. We evaluate what assets could be damaged during a fire. We look at structural assets, which includes buildings and infrastructure. We also look at environmental assets, which includes air quality and water quality.
- Weather risks. Weather can play a big role in the spread of wildland fires. We can’t change the weather, but we can better understand it. We use data from different sources to better understand which locations suffer from extreme fire weather most often.
- Level of service. We gather data on past fires and how these fires were served. This information helps us understand what types of fires can be the most damaging, and how we can better serve similar fires in the future.
What we do next
After we complete an assessment, we can design projects that help lower the fire risk. These projects might include:
- Vegetation management
- Prescribed burning
- Public education