More than seven years have passed since the fire hydrant in southern Ventura County ran quickly when the Thomas fire exploded – convention illustration Steve Bennett hopes he will never see it again.
But in November, firefighters once again found themselves lacking water as mountain fires roared in the foothills of Camarillo. Later, officials confirmed that at least one of the water pumps there were at offline levels for nearly nine hours before being connected to the backup power supply. During the 2017 Thomas fire, power losses also left regional water pumps useless for hours. A pump is needed to replenish high-altitude storage tanks to maintain water pressure.
“I think there will be backup generators in all waters after the Thomas fire,” Bennett said.
But that’s not the case.
The hydrant also dries the fire season in two major fires that destroyed Los Angeles County, Bennett said he doesn’t feel like he has time to wait. He began drafting legislation this week that would require specific improved water systems in areas with high fire risk, including backup generators with water pumps, and ensuring that water areas have all tanks capable of before fire weather.
“We have to come up with a way to need these best practices,” he said. “If we don’t do anything, we will continue to host these serious wildfire incidents.”
Bennett’s bill AB 367 only requires such standards in Ventura County, where he started to address the issue after Thomas and Mountain Fires Research- But he also plans to introduce legislation to expand statewide requirements. The mountain fire eventually destroyed more than 100 buildings, most of which were houses. Two people died in the Thomas fire, losing more than 1,000 structures.
He acknowledged that the measure would not address the growing destructive and expensive fires in California, but he said it was a start.
“This is the beginning of trying to focus on one thing: how we can reduce losses in the future,” said Ventula County Democrat Bennett. “We know that fire hydrants will lose stress or fail in a massive fire, but we should make sure Keep them as effective as possible, as long as possible.”
He said he wrote separate bills for his county and other parts of the state because he knew it would be more difficult to pass such bills statewide and wanted to act quickly for his constituents.
“We burn more frequently, we have [more than] 125 waters. “We need to standardize as soon as possible. ”
The bill sets new requirements for water providers in high-fire-risk areas, with at least 20 homes. It requires that such waters have backup power that keeps the pump running after a planned or unplanned outage; stand out in any water tank after county emergency officers notify hazardous weather conditions; commit to annual reviews to ensure water The infrastructure complies with “fire safety standards”; and submits a report after a large number of fires evaluate the role of the water system.
“After each fire, we will learn more about how to prepare,” group Jacqui Irwin (D-000 Oak) said in a statement. Irving is the co-author of the bill.
Bennett said that if these measures were implemented, they would not guarantee that the system would not have dry hydrants during a large firefight, but “they should not be faster than they have to.”
During the first few hours of the mountain fire, officials determined that at least two water pumps were invalid, one because it was destroyed in the fire and the other because it lost power during the planned power outage. Crestview Mutual Water Co. reported to its water wholesaler that the pump was from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. when the generator was eventually hung. It is not clear what impact these issues have on the fire.
Fire officials went on to explain that their crew prepares for water pressure and supply issues because the city’s water supply system is not designed to fight against major fires. In these cases, firefighters often use tanker trucks, or absorb water from other sources such as pools and reservoirs.
At that time, the mountain fires in the Camarillo area were the most destructive fires in Southern California in years. Then Palisades and Eaton Firestorms travel through Los Angeles County.
In both fires, water supply issues challenge firefighters, although experts and fire officials have repeatedly said that no residential or community water supply system can provide enough water to fight these unstable wind-driven hell. Such high demand would put any such system in harm’s way, they say, especially at higher altitudes.
“No urban water supply system can effectively put out these fires,” said Max Gomberg, senior policy adviser for the California Water Impact Network. “But there are ways to reduce the risk.”
exist Eaton Fire Firefighters reported that the power closure affected water supply. Detailed information on these issues and their extent to which they are impacted is still under investigation.
“Power redundancy, power elasticity will help in most fires – almost every fire,” said Gregory Pierce, director of the UCLA Water Resources Group. , There may be some backup generation in the area during the Eaton fire, but “certainly helps.”
Pierce noted that power shutdowns did not seem to be a problem in Palisades Fireffight, with nearly 7,000 buildings destroyed in and around Pacific Palisades, while 12 people were killed.
Still, as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Electricity worked hard to meet demand, firefighters there also found that firefighters there were also dealing with low water pressure and dry hydrants. Officials also left behind a nearby reservoir that could increase water supply. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered an independent investigation into how the city handles water before and during the fire.
But experts told The Times that the new requirement for water providers might make sense, especially in Ventura County, given the frequency at which the area loses electricity during the Santa Ana Wind Race. In such events, the utility will shut down power to reduce the risk of electrical equipment igniting fires.
Gumberg noted that the bill had no funds and implementing improvements could cost taxpayers. Bennett acknowledged this, but said he hopes any rate hikes are reasonable and residents will understand its importance. He is also working to ensure that the state funds can be paid.
But for smaller water providers and their customers, this can be a heavy burden. Ian Prichard, deputy general manager of Calleguas Municipal Water District, a wholesale water provider, said the backup generator costs $500,000, excluding installation costs.
“In this regard, it feels like the water agent has to take Edison’s responsibility,” Pricard said.
Prichard and Gomberg also noted that the bill only targets many challenges related to the state’s vast and aging water infrastructure.
“These are difficult options because you have to weigh how much you get from these investments to reduce your fire risk, rather than the day-to-day impact on people’s ability to pay,” Gomberg said.
Pierce said he found some details in the bill, such as how to choose certain thresholds, but he still called the bill a “decent start” to find ways to improve the water system in the face of a fire deterioration.
“There is still a lot of work to be done here,” Pierce said. “I think there has to be more guidance on funding, or at least more best practices and resources to provide the scale and size of these types of interventions, even large,” he said. The system.”
Times worker Matt Hamilton and Ian James contributed to the report.
