Brush Management With Positive Risk Management by Randy Newhard

Everyone knows about or has heard that popular song about it never rains in sunny Southern California. Well, we Southern Californians can testify to that tune so far this year! As I write this article for the January issue it is October 22nd. We have not had a single drop of rain for approximately 7 months!!! How we long for rain. This morning I was awakened to the sound of very strong winds blowing thorough our Eucalyptus trees. Weird as I may or may not be, I enjoy that sound, as it reminds me of stormy, rainy winters. As I laid in bed half asleep, I knew those winds were not from a storm approaching. They were the sounds of a Santa Ana.

Santa Ana's are the results of: the heating of the deserts, coupled by low pressure, which drives the hot air upwards to the mountains where it is attracted to the high pressure. As this hot air moves down thorough the mountain passes towards the coast, it is compressed and heats up 5 degrees for every 1000' it drops. That is why when we have Santa Ana conditions the coastal temperatures are warmer than inland areas. These winds are very dry. These dry winds also make the air, the soil and the plants extremely dry.

Unfortunately, almost every time we have these Santa Ana's we also have brush fires. On this day, the brush fires are no exception. There are approximately 4 separate brush fires burning as I write this article. The worst is in the Carlsbad area of North County. Yesterday afternoon and last night, the fire raged thorough canyons as well as neighborhoods, completely destroying over 60 homes. This is a catastrophe in the making.

I personally can relate to brush fires. We live in the foothills outside of Poway, in an area called Iron Mountain, in San Diego County. Last year in August, as my wife, our daughter, Kathy and I were returning from enjoying a vacation in Hawaii ( that I won at our San Diego Chapter of CAI Golf Tournament raffle) a brush fire ran rampant over Iron Mountain. As we hopped into our airport shuttle van anxiously anticipating seeing our Golden Retreivers, our driver asked where we lived. We told him outside of Poway near Iron Mountain. He said there had been a big fire out that way today. We were concerned but we had witnessed a few brush fires in the 4 years we have been living here. Miles away from our house, the smell of smoke crept into the shuttle van. As we got closer and closer to home our apprehension grew. Pulling off the major road and onto our neighborhood lane

, we were relieved to see our neighbor's homes still standing. As we walked into our home there were boxes all over the floors. Debra, my wife screamed out " someone stole all our pictures." The walls were naked. Come to find out Debra's sisters were at our house all day packing our pictures and valuables. The fire got that close...

The next morning at day break, I was up and outside exploring. Iron Mountain, projecting to the north about a half mile away, was completely blackened with no vegetation remaining. I can truly attest how scary a brush fire can be. I can assure all my in-laws will never forget that day when they saw flames a hundred feet high outside our windows!

So what can homeowner and community associations do to prevent a major catastrophe happening to their community? There are 2 major concerns for insurance companies that may determine if the companies will renew current policies according to Rick Tocki of Allstate Insurance in San Diego. " Insurance companies will be very leery of associations and communities in Brush Management Zones" says Tocki. "Also of very significant importance, is, if the homes or condos have a shake roof " stated Tocki.

Dick Parrent, a Vice President with the Robert Driver Company of San Diego, recommended that community associations should immediately begin enlarging the buffer areas of any adjacent Brush Management Zones. Even though many governmental agencies require only a 100' or so of clearance, he would not be surprised to see insurance companies expanding their requirement of this distance to 300' - 500'. Dick also suggested that communities should immediately begin addressing and budgeting for replacement of their shake roofs if they are in the any Brush Management Zone.

"Coupled with the earthquakes and recent brush and wildfires in California, insurance companies are not aggressively seeking individual homeowner policies in the state of California. Some are looking for ways to not renew their current policies as well. Living in a Brush Management Zone or having a shake roof may be all they need not to renew a policy. Underwriters will absolutely be more adamant with their requirements" added Parrent.

Charles Phillips of Chula Vista California, who represents Farmers Insurance, suggested that communities should take the aggressive approach in dealing with their insurance agent. For those with shake roofs, his advice is to tell your insurance agent or broker that your community will be changing that shake roof to a fire retardant roof. Charles mentioned that as he was watching the news program regarding the Carlsbad fire, he noticed in one particular scene that the fire seemed to pass by a house with a fire retardant roof. The neighbors (who had shake roofs)on both sides of the fire retardant roof were completely destroyed!

If you are living in a home with a shake roof and not adjacent to a canyon, does not mean you are completely safe from catching on fire. The problem is that the fire itself creates such an upward draft, coupled with the Santa Ana winds, allows for fire embers to be carried for many blocks away. These embers are then sometimes deposited onto roofs thus catching the house on fire.

So, in conclusion, assess the type of roof you have and your location to any potential brush fire hazards. Your community may or may not have the funds in this years operating budget to complete these necessary projects. However, with a proactive approach of your professional: property / community manager, roofer and landscaper, a potential catastrophe maybe prevented. Oh, by the way, you will also have more peace of mind and sleep allot better knowing your community is far more safer...

Randy Newhard is President of New Way Professional Landscape Services in San Diego, California. Randy also serves on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Chapter of CAI.