California Assembly Bill 38, signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2019, addresses the issue of home fire safety by enhancing the resilience of housing communities located in high fire severity zones. AB-38 requires the Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to develop and administer a home hardening initiative to retrofit and create defensible space for homes in environmentally and socially vulnerable communities.
- Retrofitting is the act of adapting housing to increase fire resilience by making structural changes such as replacing roofs, installing double-pane windows, etc.
- Defensible space is the buffer between a property and the greenery around it. Creating defensible space includes removing vegetation near structures, cleaning gutters, cutting back trees, etc.
AB-38 also specifies the prioritization of home hardening in communities made further vulnerable due to factors such as age, health, and mobility. Financial assistance—up to $40,000 per home—is also available for low- and moderate-income residents in such communities. San Diego, Shasta, and Lake Counties in Southern California were prioritized as pilot areas for this program.
Current Wildfire-Resilience Policies & Allocation
The current policies and allocation of funds by the California government to address the threat of wildfires on housing primarily focus on coniferous forest management rather than home hardening measures. For instance, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Plan for 2023-2024 includes an allocated budget of $12 million for home hardening, $5 million for defensible space initiatives, and $192 million for wildfire fuel breaks in coniferous forests. However, the popularity of home hardening is on the rise, as new studies show that 86% of building losses caused by wildfires in California occur within areas designated as the wildlife-urban interface (WUI). The WUI is the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development, and pilot communities such as Dulzura are designated as both high fire hazard zones and as part of California’s WUI.
Arguments in Favor of Expanding Home Hardening Initiatives
Advocates for the expansion of state-sponsored home hardening initiatives cite the promotion of equitable climate justice for underprivileged communities. The individual cost of implementation for different home hardening tactics poses a significant financial burden, especially for homeowners with limited resources. Low-income Americans already bear a disproportionate burden when dealing with the effects of extreme weather events, as underprivileged populations are more likely to seek housing that is more affordable, and thus riskier. Legislation such as AB-38 will help locals who may not be able to afford fire-resistant restorations without outside financial assistance.
To establish affordable home hardening programs, the state would have to bear upfront costs. Proponents believe that the benefits of upfront investment outweigh the potential costs of fire damage in highly vulnerable areas. Given that the financial assistance program mandated by AB-38 was written largely in response to the devastation of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, proponents of the legislation cite the $18-billion cost in damages caused by the Camp Fire as impetus for home hardening. The migration of residents from high-risk areas exacerbates the housing affordability crisis, underscoring the need for innovative climate adaptation planning.
Finally, home hardening not only protects homes and residents, but also safeguards firefighters and first responders by reducing the risk of homes becoming ignition sources. Additionally, if homes are more immune to ignition, firefighters can focus on containing and extinguishing wildfires, leading to improved overall efforts.
Critiques Against Expanding Home Hardening Initiatives
While there is general consensus on the need for stronger structures in the face of exacerbated climate change, critics argue that home-hardening initiatives like retrofitting are not as effective as allowing developers to construct new, higher-quality housing in the WUI. Given advancements in building codes and materials, it is easier to incorporate resilience measures during the construction process, as upgrading existing infrastructure entails working within the limitations of that infrastructure. Developers advocate for building new, climate-resilient housing in the WUI in place of older houses that require home hardening.
In addition to concerns about retrofitting, critics highlight the unintended consequences that defensible space requirements may have on the natural environment. Defensible space and extensive vegetation removal can disrupt ecosystems, potentially leading to ecosystem imbalance or loss of habitat for wildlife.
Furthermore, though legislation such as AB-38 is meant to make fire-resilient housing more accessible, there is no guarantee that homeowners will comply with the optional home hardening procedures. Enforcing home hardening requirements can be challenging, particularly in cases where homeowners fail to maintain their properties adequately, prompting the need for additional resource-intensive inspections and monitoring.
Climate Adaptation & Future Developments
The expansion of home hardening initiatives reflects a shift in focus within legislation towards adapting to the changing environment rather than solely mitigating its effects. Adaptation itself has become a contentious topic. Proponents of wildfire-adaptive legislation argue that it is a necessary response to the foreseeable effects of climate change, and that the allocation of government funds towards fire resilience should move away from prevention strategies that involve logging or cutting down forests and instead endorse adaptation measures. On the other hand, too heavy of an emphasis on adaptation may divert attention away from the impetus to prevent further environmental degradation. Critics argue that focusing legislation on home hardening rather than prioritizing actions such as imposing sanctions on large corporations that exacerbate climate change may be self-serving on the part of the government.
The pilot program will commence in the summer of 2023, with Dulzura being the first community to start implementing adaptive housing measures. The program will expand to the communities of Potrero during the fall of 2023, and Campo during the fall of 2024. As home hardening measures are further implemented across California, officials will have a better understanding about how adaptation efforts will shape climate resilience, and whether other counties will follow San Diego’s lead in implementing similar measures.