HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-03-2017 Item 01 Bishop Peak Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress Study Meeting Date: 1/3/2017
FROM: Garret Olson, Fire Chief
SUBJECT: BISHOP PEAK EMERGENCY FIRE ACCESS AND PUBLIC EGRESS
STUDY
RECOMMENDATION
Provide guidance to staff to better inform the analysis of the public safety issues related to
Bishop Peak Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress based on staff’s preliminary
recommendation to:
1. Prohibit on-street parking on both sides of Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive from the
point at which these two streets split to the termination of both cul de sacs; and
2. Install a raised pedestrian crosswalk in the area of the Patricia Street trailhead.
DISCUSSION
Background
In response to concerns by residents, the City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department conducted a
review of the risks associated with a fire along the eastern portion of Bishop Peak (Highland
Drive/Oakridge Drive area). The review was designed to determine 1) if a fire in the region
would pose a significant threat to the region/inhabitants, 2) if residents/visitors are able to safely
evacuate in the event of a fire, and 3) if the Fire Department has sufficient access to properly
mitigate a fire. To answer these questions, the Fire Department partnered with the City’s
Information Technology (IT) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Division, Parks and
Recreation Ranger Services, Public Works Transportation Planning & Engineering Division, and
City Administration Natural Resources and Special Projects Managers.
Prior to focusing on this specific region, staff discussed and subsequently made several site visits
to other regions of the City to assess if similar risk profiles are present in other regions. Staff
found the area surrounding Bishop Peak to be a unique risk profile in the City based on many
factors. Those factors include: 1) width of streets; 2) street parking configuration; 3) presence or
absence of collateral accessibility; 4) size, type and location of vegetation; proximity of homes to
each other and vegetation; and 5) age of homes and outbuildings, which correlates with the
ability of these structures to resist wildfires.
Staff was fortunate that timing of this study coincided with the part-time temporary employment
of a GIS Technician whose advanced degree thesis focused on fire risk analysis in urban settings
similar to San Luis Obispo. The science available for fire modelling this study was at a level
previously unavailable to the City. In addition to acknowledging established fire hazard severity
zone information, this risk assessment included an area-specific analysis of the tree canopy,
spatial mapping of vegetation by type, topography, and extensive weather data history. Also
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included as data in this analysis were the age of all structures (both residential dwelling and out
buildings), parcel density, defensible space (a zonal analysis of the home ignition zone using
remote sensing), and structure density (an analysis of structures within distance ranges to each
other). All these data points were specific to the defined region, which is roughly bound by
Foothill Boulevard to the south, Al-Hil Drive to the east, the north base of Bishop Peak to the
north, and the west base of Bishop Peak to the west. The result of this analysis was the creation
of a highly modelled region, capable of receiving fire scenario data to forecast fire spread over
time.
The Fire Department provided our GIS technician with four scenarios related to potential fire in
this region. Scenarios modelled included fires started on the upper trail of Bishop Peak, in the
lower wooded area above Highland Drive, on Highland Drive simulating a vehicle fire, and in
the backyard of a local residence simulating a cooking fire. Two different times of year were
assessed to analyze if fire risk is significantly influenced by weather and other seasonal patterns.
The scenario involving a cooking fire was modeled using actual weather and fire behavior
characteristics from Thanksgiving Day 2015, thus simulating a turkey deep fryer mishap during
non-peak fire season weather. The other three scenarios were modeled using a date in August
2015, thus simulating fire conditions during the extreme weather conditions of the fire season.
Extreme weather conditions are characterized by high temperatures, low humidity, and strong or
unpredictable winds. The range in fire ignition locations and time of year were intended to
evaluate if fire risk is significantly seasonal in this region.
It is important to note that the fire-spread-over-time models assume no firefighting activities take
place. A fire-spread-over-time model is intended to show the likely path and speed of spread of
a fire in a region given the data modelled as detailed above (such as vegetation by type,
topography, weather, and parcel density). Obviously, if a fire was reported, the City Fire
Department and available automatic aid fire agencies1 would respond to extinguish the fire. The
modelling assumes no firefighting activities for several reasons. First, to illustrate the rapid
spread of the fire, which has a direct impact on fire resources and access needs. Second, there is
no way of predicting what fire response resources would be available at the time of ignition.
While it would be a priority to rededicate City resources to this emergency, the availability of
regional resources is not under local control, including the availability of firefighting aircraft th at
would be critical to a fire in this complex region and related topography.
Fire Threat
The fire modelling analysis illustrates that a fire in the region could pose a significant threat to
the region and the inhabitants. In both the fire season and non-fire season models, unimpeded
fire spread rapidly consumed structures and open space. During extreme weather conditions, the
fire was modelled to spread approximately 1,190 acres in the first 48 hours. The fire would reach
the community in the first hour and burn through much of the neighborhood and over to Bishop
Peak Elementary and Highway 1. The two other peak fire season scenarios produced similar
1 The City and CAL FIRE provide automatic aid through a formal agreement, which prea uthorizes deployment of
emergency response resources between jurisdictions. Automatic aid is different from mutual aid in that the latter
requires approval prior to deployment of resources. Under the current automatic aid agreement with CAL FIRE, an
available CAL FIRE engine company is automatically dispatched to all fires in the City of San Luis Obispo.
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rates of fire spread. It is important to note that the availability of regional fire resources may be
greatly depleted and/or deployed outside of our region during the fire season. For example,
regionally stationed firefighting hand-crews and firefighting aircraft may be dedicated to other
fires throughout the State at any given moment during the fire season. Firefighting hand-crews
and aircraft are among the most critical resources at a wildland fire.
The non-peak fire season model resulted in a prediction of 688 acres burned in the first 48 hours.
In this model, the fire climbs Bishop Peak in less than ten hours, burns over Highland and
Oakridge Drives, and travels quickly to the west toward Foothill Boulevard and O’Connor Way.
This rapid fire spread is despite the very mild weather conditions (56 F, 20% humidity, and
light winds). It is important to note that some regional fire resources are not available during
non-fire season times of year. For example, firefighting hand-crews and firefighting aircraft may
not be maintained in a deployable state during the off season. Again, firefighting hand-crews and
aircraft are among the most critical resources at a wildland fire.
Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress Capacity
Two streets, Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive, would play an important role in the Fire
Department’s ability to stop the forward spread of fire. Depending on the point of ignition of a
fire and current weather conditions, these two street would be a primary route to deploy
firefighting apparatus and crews due to their good pavement condition and proximity to homes.
Ideally, firefighting crews would be able to drive up both of these street, unimpeded, to
strategically put into operations hand lines (aka fire hose lines extending into the open space) to
stop the forward spread of the fire. There are four fire hydrants on the section of Highland Drive
between its split with Oakridge Drive and Highland Drive’s terminus. There are two fire
hydrants on the section of Oakridge Drive between its split with Highland Drive and Oakridge
Drive’s terminus. These fire hydrants would be critical to supply water for sustained firefighting
operations.
There are alternative access options available to emergency response crews responding to the
Bishop Peak area, including the Felsman Loop, which is a graded dirt access road. Unpaved
access options are important to maintain as fire and medical response routes for consideration;
however, paved streets are preferred due to their condition (which allows for more rapid, safe,
all-weather responses and especially meaningful for engines that are meant to be used in more
urban environments) and their proximity to fire hydrants.
It is highly probable that in the event of a fire in this region, Fire crews and apparatus would be
deployed to strategic points along the paved streets of Highland and Oakridge Drives,
simultaneous to the Fire and Police Departments communicating the need for local residents and
visitors to evacuate. When this is the case, it is assumed that the majority of residents will
evacuate with their vital belongings via their personal vehicles. Therefore, it is vital to the
firefighting effort and the safety of residents that simultaneous fire suppression activities and
citizen evacuation be possible.
Based on the current road dimensions and parking configuration, it is likely that simultaneous
firefighter operations and citizen evacuation would not be possible. If no vehicles were parked
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on Highland and Oakridge Drives, simultaneous firefighter operations and citizen evacuation
would be possible. Therefore, prohibiting on-street parking on Highland and Oakridge Drives in
this region is the solution identified by staff to address year-round emergency access and egress
needs.
Potential Impacts of Prohibiting Parking
The most obvious impact is the reduction in parking in this area. The proposed impacted section
of Highland Drive has the capacity to accommodate approximately 45 on-street parked vehicles,
and the proposed impacted section of Oakridge Drive has the capacity to accommodate
approximately 50 on-street parked vehicles. Prohibiting on-street vehicle parking is a disruption
for residents, service personnel (such as landscape crews), and visitors. For those visitors or
service personnel coming to a specific residence, there exists varying off-street/on-property
parking options, but some neighbors have identified this as a significant inconvenience.
For those visitors coming to visit the open space, one of four likely scenarios could supply
parking spaces in lieu of Highland Drive:
1) An open space visitor coming to Bishop Peak by vehicle may drive to the trailhead at the
top of Highland Drive, drop off passengers, and drive to an authorized parking space.
2) An open space visitor coming to Bishop Peak by vehicle may drive directly to an
authorized parking space and walk to an existing trailhead.
3) An open space visitor coming to Bishop Peak may shift to a non-vehicular means of
coming to this region.
4) An open space visitor may elect to go to another open space region with a different
parking configuration.
Four initial potential negative impacts of these scenarios include: 1) increased pedestrian traffic
on Highland Drive, 2) increased vehicle speeds on Highland Drive2, 3) increased parking on
other streets in the region, and 4) increased vehicle-pedestrian activity at the trailhead on Patricia
Street. The Public Works Transportation Planning & Engineering Division has considered these
potential negative impacts and is prepared to mitigate some of the likely impacts through
engineering options. These options include: 1) traffic calming measures, 2) increased signage,
and/or 3) enhanced pedestrian crossing safety treatments. City staff has prepared a Capital
Improvement Project for consideration in the 17-19 Financial Plan to address anticipated traffic
and pedestrian issues should Council want to pursue parking strategies as outlined in this report.
Public Outreach
To better inform this effort, staff has engaged the community in accordance with the Council-
adopted Public Engagement and Notification Manual. Efforts included a presentation to the
Parks and Recreation Commission, dialogue with local area residents, dialogue with the
2 This is due to the absence of parked vehicles on streets that have shown to reduce the average speed of traveling
vehicles.
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community at-large, and an online opportunity through Open City Hall.
Attachment A is the notice provided to the Parks and Recreation Commission and available to
the community prior to the Commission’s July 6, 2016 meeting. Attachment B is the presentation
provided to local area residents on September 19, 2016 and to the community-at-large on
September 27, 2016. Attachment C is the feedback provided by the attending neighbors to staff
during the brainstorming session of the September 19, 2016 neighborhood meeting. Attachment
D is the feedback provided by participating community members to staff during the
brainstorming session of the September 27, 2016 community-at-large meeting. Attachment E is
the feedback provided by citizens via this Open City Hall discussion portal. The Open City Hall
site is available at https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/189/Issue_3949, including the issue
background information and introductory video.
Some of the feedback provided to staff was tangential to the fire emergency access and public
egress focus, but nonetheless it was very important to receive all perspectives and potential
solutions to fully inform this issue. This feedback largely centered on: 1) the use, overuse and or
misuse of this region; 2) enforcement or lack thereof of existing ordinances regarding open space
use; and 3) observations about access and/or parking more broad than the scope of this issue’s
focus. There was also strong interest by the neighborhood group in additional engagement,
education, and information related to increasing resident preparedness, information regarding
open space health and maintenance, and best practices for decreasing the potential for wildland
fire ignition and spread. Staff is working to meet these vital neighborhood needs and requests.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND GUIDANCE REQUESTED
Staff found that there is a year-round need to maintain sufficient access and egress on Highland
and Oakridge Drives to allow for simultaneous Fire emergency response access and resident
egress. Staff recommends prohibiting on-street parking on both sides of Highland Drive and
Oakridge Drive from the point at which these two streets split to the termination of both cul de
sacs. Prohibiting parking may solve some of the tangential concerns communicated to staff by
local residents related to the use of this region’s open space. Since the Patricia Drive trailhead is
likely to see increased use as a result of prohibiting parking on Highland and Oakridge Drives,
staff is also recommending a raised pedestrian crosswalk in the area of the Patricia Street
trailhead to calm traffic and enhance pedestrian safety.
Staff acknowledges that this a complex issue of great interest to local residents and open space
visitors. Staff is interested in feedback from the community and guidance from the City Council
to help inform our analysis and subsequent actions and/or recommendations to maximize the
value of solutions designed primarily for public safety reasons, but which can provide relief to
non-public safety issues.
CONCURRENCES
The Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and City Administration Departments concur with the
analysis and recommended strategies in this report.
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FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact in directing staff to pursue strategies in this report. A capital
improvement project (CIP) to implement capital improvements to address the strategies
contained in this report has been developed for consideration as part of the 2017-2019 Financial
Plan. The estimate for these improvements is estimated at $95,000. This draft CIP will be
modified with sufficient capacity to address anticipated access and safety issues should Council
want to pursue any additional strategies that require more capital investments . The proposed
project funding includes monitoring costs to ensure that any measures are adequately addressing
the anticipated impacts and monitoring for any unanticipated impacts. Should unanticipated
impacts be identified, additional strategies and improvements will be brought back to the City
Council for review and approval.
Attachments:
a - Letter to PRC for July 6 2016 meeting
b - Presentation to Neighbors for September 19, 2016
c - Feedback from Neighbors September 19, 2016 meeting
d - Feedback from community at large September 27 2016 meeting
e - Open City Hall feedback
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City of San Luis Obispo, Fire Department, 2160 Santa Barbara Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-5240, 805.781.7380, slocity.org
TO: Parks and Recreation Commission
FROM: Garret Olson, Fire Chief
DATE: June 28, 2016
RE: Assessment of emergency response access and citizen egress in the area
around Bishop Peak trail
In response to concerns expressed by residents in the area of the Bishop Peak trail, the Fire
Department and Information Technology (IT) Graphic Information Systems (GIS) staff
conducted a study to assess the risk in the region, the City Fire Depart ment’s ability to
access areas at risk, and the ability of residents and visitors to evacuate if so advised by
emergency response personnel. In the simplest terms, the City sought to answer three
primary questions:
1. Is there heightened risk that a fire in this region would pose a significant threat to
the region and its inhabitants?
2. If there is a heightened risk, is the current access configuration of City streets
sufficient to allow the Fire Department to respond to mitigate fires in this region?
3. If residents of and visitors to this region are requested to evacuate due to fire, is the
current egress configuration of City streets sufficient to allow evacuation during fire
suppression operations?
To assess risk, the Fire Department provided GIS technicians with several scenarios related
to a fire started in this region. Scenarios modeled included fires started on the trail, in the
lower wooded area, by a car fire on Highland Drive, and by a cooking fire in the backyard of
a residence. Different times of year were assessed in determining if risk is significantly
influenced by weather and other seasonal patterns. Using advanced GIS tools with
weather, topography, vegetation canopy, and fire behavior modeling capabilities, GIS
mapped the Bishop Peak region west of Patricia Drive. GIS then modeled the four fire
scenarios. The scenario involving a cooking fire was modeled using actual weather and fire
behavior characteristics from Thanksgiving Day 2015, thus simulating a turkey deep fryer
mishap. The other three scenarios were modeled using a date in August 2015. Again, the
range in fire start locations and dates of fire start were intended to illustrate if fire risk is
significantly seasonal in this region. At the July 6, 2016 Parks and Recreation Commission
meeting, staff will present these findings to the Commission.
Fire, IT-GIS Division, Public Works-Transportation Planning & Engineering Division, and City
Administration-Natural Resources staff met to assess these scenarios and to discuss
potential risks in other regions of the City. Fire staff drove other areas in question to assess
regions with potentially similar risk profiles. At this time, the area surrounding Bishop Peak
has a unique risk profile based on many factors, including width of streets; street parking
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configuration; presence or lack thereof collateral accessibility; size, type and location of
vegetation; proximity of homes to each other and vegetation; and age of homes and
outbuildings. Based on a preliminary assessment of the GIS modeling and the access and
egress needs, the Fire Department has a concept plan to discontinue all on street parking
on both sides of Highland Drive starting at Oakridge Drive as well as on the west side of
Oakridge Drive starting at Highland Drive. This initial concept is open to complete revision if
more creative or different solutions come to light during the process which provide the
minimum necessary access and egress in the event of a fire in this region.
Since Bishop Peak is a popular outdoor recreation location, the Fire Department is
interested in the perspectives of the Parks and Recreation Commission. The July 6 meeting
will be an opportunity for the Commission to provide feedback to staff to ensure any
subsequent actions to enhance safety are well vetted by our community. Future meetings
with local residents and interested citizens will be hosted as well.
Questions for the Parks and Recreation Commission to consider for this region include:
1. What possible solutions to reduce fire risk would the Commissioners encourage City
staff to consider, including such topics as street and parking design and vegetation
management on City controlled property?
2. What possible solutions to enhance Fire emergency response access and operations
would the Commissioners encourage City staff to consider?
3. What possible solutions to ensure sufficient resident and visitor evacuation needs
would the Commissioners encourage City staff to consider?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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City Administration - Natural ResourcesFire DepartmentInformation Services, GISParks and Recreation Department1Bishop Peak Fire SafetyNeighborhood MeetingSeptember 19, 2016Packet Pg. 171
Bishop Peak Fire SafetyNeighborhood MeetingSeptember 19, 2016Agenda – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm1. Introduction/Purpose of Tonight's Meeting2. Presentation of Fire Department Reviewa. Assessment using GIS b. Survey of field conditionsc. Open Space conditions discussion3. Group Discussion/Report Back4. Wrap Up2Packet Pg. 181
GGIS analysis of Fire Hazard1. Fire hazard Severity Zone mapping2. Tree canopy analysis using laser technology (LIDAR)3. Spatial mapping of vegetation type4. Topography: slope, aspect5. Weather: wind direction, wind speed, humidity, and temperature. 3Packet Pg. 191
GGIS analysis of Structural Fire Vulnerability1. Defensible Space- zonal analysis of Home Ignition Zone using remote sensing 2. Age of structure- assessors map data. 3. Parcel density-measured in parcel size4. Structure density- structures present within 5 feet, 30 feet and 100 feet, which account for structure-to-structure spread4Packet Pg. 201
OOverall Risk Level 91% of parcels along Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive where found to have High and Very High Fire Risk. Due to:•High fire hazard in region•Age of existing structures•Proximity to hazardous vegetation•Proximity of vegetation to structuresFire Risk = Hazards - Observed Mitigations5Packet Pg. 211
MModelling Fire PotentialFire behavior analysis allows for the predictive modelling of fire activity under specific scenarios.Fire Behavior simulations under real San Luis Obispo weather conditions using two scenarios: •Simulation 1- Fire in lower wooded area during the summer•Simulation 2- Thanksgiving day structure fire6Packet Pg. 221
SSimulation 1: Fire started in the lower wwooded area during the summer7Packet Pg. 231
Careless Ignition in lower wooded area- Extreme Summer Conditions •Approximately 1,190 Acres in 48 hours. •Reaches community in 1 Hour.•Burns to Highway 1.•Burns through much of the residential community and over the school. 8Packet Pg. 241
SSimulation 2: Structure fire on TThanksgiving day9Packet Pg. 251
Thanksgiving Day Ignition•Approximately 688 Acres in 48 hours (Limited by data extent). •Climbs Bishop Peak in <10 hours. •Burns over Highland drive and Oakridge drive.•Travels quickly towards Foothill and O'Connor wayNovember 26th2015•Temp High - 56 F•Humidity – 20% low•ENE winds (70 degrees)•13 mph average high •Non-extreme weather10Packet Pg. 261
RResultsThe risk analysis found that there is the potential in this area for a wildland fire to spread into the residential area under both normaland extremeweather conditions. The analysis also found that a structural fire, even in non-extreme weather conditions, could have the potential to spread throughout the residential area and the Bishop Peak Natural Reserve. 11Packet Pg. 271
CChallenges to response and eevacuation12Packet Pg. 281
OOpen Space conditions13Packet Pg. 291
GGroup DiscussionsDiscussion #1:What possible solutions to reduce fire risk should be considered?For Example: Fire Department preliminary analysis indicates that possible solutions could include modifications to street layout and parking design as well as vegetation management.Timeframe: 15 MinutesReport Back: 3-5 minutes per group14Packet Pg. 301
GGroup DiscussionsDiscussion #2:What possible solutions should be considered to enhance fire truck/fire personnel access to the area at the same time as residents are evacuating from the area? Timeframe: 15 MinutesReport Back: 3-5 minutes per group15Packet Pg. 311
GGroup DiscussionsDiscussion #3:What other solutions or enhancements should be considering as we evaluate the health and safety of this area? Timeframe: 15 MinutesReport Back: 3-5 minutes per group16Packet Pg. 321
•Open City Hall: www.slocity.org/OpenCityHall•Community meeting: September 27th@ 5:30 pm Ludwick Community Center•City Council Study Session: January 2017•Solution(s) as part of the City’s 2017-2019 Financial Planning ProcessNNext Steps17Packet Pg. 331
18Packet Pg. 341
Prompt #1: What possible solutions to reduce fire risk should be considered? Parking x Parking at the pond x Residential parking district x Eliminate all parking at Highland and Patricia x Strategic parking & have a fire staging area x No parking on Highland and Oakridge x Better parking enforcement x Repaint red curbs Access x Relocate BP trailhead to foothill x Open Hwy 1 & Foothill trailheads x Close all residential trailheads x Evaluate all access easements x Have permits for hiking on BP trail x No night hiking (sun up to sun down) x Get a total number for all city and county uses x No large gatherings on BP x Permit hiking- Best practice from Palm Springs x Increased no smoking enforcement x ½ cent tax for visitor’s use x Avoid speedway on Highland x No skateboards allowed on Highland Water & Home x Have H2O tank at the top of Highland and add other tanks x H2O pressure issue address for fire fighters x Check all fire hydrants x Do not have a solution that impacts property value & fire inspections x Home maintenance regulation & inspections Other x Review Ferrinni agreement x Implement BP Emergency Access Alternatives study Prompt #3: What other solutions or enhancements should be considering as we evaluate the health and safety of this area? Education x Multiple no smoking signs x Notes on cars for no night hiking x Rental agency lease education on housing and fire x More fire danger signs x Signs for trail use by horses x Enforcement to stay on trails and not veer off x Citizen and rangers work together more x Take advantage of Mr. Felton’s wisdom Cleanup x PG&E to haul away what they cut down x Highland St vegetation reduction x Neighborhood work/clean-up day x Goats for weed abatement x Know your neighbors for help during and to prevent emergencies Access x Temporary closure of the trails x Temporary red curb of all Highland and Patricia until solution is completed x Close Highland trail but allow case by case access for disabled people x Gate knox box keys kept serviced x Limit number of BP users x Use Hwy 1 for parking Neighborhood Meeting Feedback Bishop Peak Fire Safety - 9.19.16 Prompt #2: What possible solutions should be considered to enhance fire truck/fire personnel access to the area at the same time as residents are evacuating from the area? Access x Fire access from a different route x Alternative route off Patricia/ new road installed x Use Hwy 1 access for fires x All weather access on Hwy 1 x No parking on Patricia from Foothill to Highland x Do not move a problem from one spot to another Other x Police assistance x Good information with evaluation plans x Register phones to receive notifications **Reference to existing City requirements (ordinances, policies, etc.) is in reference to enforcing said requirements rather than establishing new requirements. Packet Pg. 351
Community Meeting Feedback
Bishop Peak Fire Safety - 9.27.16
Parking
Don’t allow parking
on Highland or
Oakridge, both sides
of both streets
The same parking
treatment should be
applied to Oakridge
and Highland (red
strip both sides)
Residents may
consider a parking
district
Residents to consider
feasibility of parking
district for residential
side (east side) of
Patricia near the
Patricia Trailhead
Don’t construct a
parking lot at the
pond
Access and Use
Evaluate traffic
calming on Patricia
Close the Highland
Trailhead
Improve “no access”
signage / info at
Oakridge
Establish a
“reasonable use”
level for hikers on
Bishop (meter the
number of hikers to
prevent “over loving”)
Look at traffic counts
on surrounding roads
Clean Up
Improve trailhead
maintenance and
pick-up
Education
Focus on social and
behavioral education
but leave the
Highland Trailhead
open
Access for
Firefighting
Do not cut a road in
the meadow above
the Patricia Trailhead
Make sure there is a
functional Fire access
on the current road
from the Patricia
Trailhead
Confirm existence of
current easements
and explore more
options for increased
Fire access
Other
Evaluate persons
with special
transportation needs
for evacuation (“shut
ins”)
Prop 64 may make
this worse if some
choose to climb the
peak to get high
Observation: the
design of Highland
was never intended
to service an active
trailhead
**Reference to existing City requirements (ordinances, policies, etc.) is in reference
to enforcing said requirements rather than establishing new requirements.
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All Registered Statements sorted chronologically
As of December 6, 2016, 2:56 PM
Open City Hall is not a certified voting system or ballot box. As with any public comment process, participation in Open City Hall is
voluntary. The statements in this record are not necessarily representative of the whole population, nor do they reflect the opinions of
any government agency or elected officials.
All Registered Statements sorted chronologically
As of December 6, 2016, 2:56 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3949
Bishop Peak Natural Reserve Fire Safety
What can be done to address fire risk and evacuation in areas adjacent to Bishop Peak?
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As of December 6, 2016, 2:56 PM, this forum had:
Attendees: 57
Registered Statements: 7
All Statements: 9
Minutes of Public Comment: 27
This topic started on September 9, 2016, 4:27 PM.
All Registered Statements sorted chronologically
As of December 6, 2016, 2:56 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3949 Page 2 of 5
Bishop Peak Natural Reserve Fire Safety
What can be done to address fire risk and evacuation in areas adjacent to Bishop Peak?
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Tim Jouet inside Neighborhood 6 November 22, 2016, 8:53 PM
install 24 hour parking meters in the neighborhood to offset any potential costs and to discourage the
overcrowding of the streets! Residents should all have ample off-street parking already available, and crowds of
people driving to these areas should have to pay the city as well (they sure are paying for the vehicles and
gasoline, so why not the city whose property they are accessing?). The insane priority we give to private vehicle
ownership/use is the real root of these types of problems.
Larry Parker inside Neighborhood 7 October 24, 2016, 6:34 PM
Clearly post trail rules at trailheads, with associated fines in large font. Fines should be commensurate with the
risks associated with violations. For example, the fine for smoking should be magnitudes higher than a leash
violation.
Violators should be held accountable. For example if someone causes a wildfire, they should be charged for
damages and costs associated with fighting the fire. Similarly, off-trail climbers who require a rescue should be
charged for the rescue costs.
Name not shown inside Neighborhood 1 September 21, 2016, 2:56 PM
I think we should have no parking on Highland Drive above the Oakridge intersection due to fire hazard.
Robert Duncan inside Neighborhood 1 September 21, 2016, 11:09 AM
I think most of the emergency access problem comes from the saturation of parking during peak use periods of
the trail head. During non-peak use periods, most of the street parking below the top 100 yards or so is
sparsely occupied. My thinking is that the problem would be largely solved if we focus on this saturation
parking, perhaps as follows:
1. During known high usage periods, the Highland trailhead should be closed and hikers diverted to one of the
alternate trailheads - Patricia or Foothill.
2. Build a parking lot near the Highland (and/or Patricia) trailhead. Even a small parking lot accommodating 8
cars would significantly relieve parking on Highland during most (non high use) days.
High usage periods should include Labor day, Memorial day, Independence day, the Cal Poly move-in week,
and the week during the Cal Poly graduation / move-out. On these days/weeks, Highland Drive is lined with
parked cars all the way down to the school, and has an extremely high level of both pedestrian and vehicle
traffic, hampering the use of emergency vehicles at the very time when it is most likely needed. During such
closures, clear attention grabbing signage should be presented at the bottom of the hill, making the switch
Bishop Peak Natural Reserve Fire Safety
What can be done to address fire risk and evacuation in areas adjacent to Bishop Peak?
All Registered Statements sorted chronologically
As of December 6, 2016, 2:56 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3949 Page 3 of 5
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convenient for hikers, reducing unnecessary traffic, and increasing compliance.
The Highland trailhead was closed this year during the Cal Poly move-in week. Please pay close attention to
lingering effects this will have on trailhead usage. I suspect that the effects will persist beyond the closure
period, because many first time hikers will continue to use the Patricia trailhead, having become familiar with it,
rather than Highland. This is significant because the Patricia trailhead doesn't have the problems of access and
parking found on Highland.
Name not shown inside Neighborhood 10 September 18, 2016, 8:09 AM
1. Involve the City's Natural Resources Department
2. Make Dispatch plans that include high value natural resources, areas to let burn, areas of full suppression,
areas of no equipment (fragile soils, etc) that are only fought by hand, etc.
3. Bill for search and rescue - do not add any roads or LZs
4. In the high fire neighborhoods, enforce strict roof and siding requirements. Also, defensible space clearing.
Prohibit planting highly flammable plants in yards.
5. Enforce NO SMOKING on Bishop Peak
6. Add City's Natural Resources staff to Dispatch list to area fires as Natural Resources Advisors (all City Open
Spaces)
7. Make sure that the city, county and state all have dispatch information on Bishop Peak area, and that it is
kept up to date
8.Have tow trucks on call to rapidly remove vehicles that are in the way
9. Post signs in area, High Fire Risk Area, Evacuation Route, etc
Gail Karacsony inside Neighborhood 1 September 17, 2016, 3:51 PM
After the recent rescue and evacuation of an injured hiker from Bishop Peak Saturday, September 10th, my
husband and I began to wonder about the associated costs of such operations which appear to be occurring
more and more frequently since we have been living in the Bishop Peak vicinity from 1992 to the present.
Who bears the brunt of these costs; in particular, the helicopter, pilot, deployment of multiple fire trucks,
emergency vehicles, ambulances with accompanying operators/staff, police, medical costs, etc.? We would
appreciate any and all specific details as to who pays for such rescues (presumably in our taxes and portion
thereof), but, more importantly, who should be held accountable/responsible/liable for such costly operations
given the increasing traffic?
Gail & Peter Karacsony
Name not shown inside Neighborhood 1 September 12, 2016, 3:44 PM
As an owner on Highland Drive, we appreciate the efforts to review this area with regard to fire safety. In terms
of ability to get fire equipment on Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive, a possible solution would be to limit
Bishop Peak Natural Reserve Fire Safety
What can be done to address fire risk and evacuation in areas adjacent to Bishop Peak?
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parking to only one side of these streets. It would be difficult to take land to widen these streets due to the
steep nature of many of these lots and their driveways.
Bishop Peak Natural Reserve Fire Safety
What can be done to address fire risk and evacuation in areas adjacent to Bishop Peak?
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Bishop Peak TrailAccess Options
Recommendation: Maintain Curb Parking•Reject staff proposal to close off 95 spaces in upper Highland and Oakridge Drive•Parking would only be shifted to lower Highland, Patricia Drive, Foothill (illegal!) •Major inconvenience to hikers•Doesn’t resolve emergency access issue for upper Highland residences•Creates major access issues for visitors, caregivers, contractors for residents•Was not developed as part of comprehensive solution to access issues•Return to neighborhood, advisory bodies, to develop “big picture”•Neighborhood first•Parks and Recreation•Planning CommissionEngage County to resolve Foothill Boulevard Access!!
Some specific ideas:1. Establish new, all‐weather emergency access route to connect upper Highland Drive with the Felsman Loop 2. Establish small, off‐street parking lots at upper Highland AND Patricia Drive trailheads3. Establish new trailhead at 55 Highland to divert hikers from upper Highland4. Work with SLC School District to permit trailhead parking at Bishop Peak School (non‐school hours only)5. Install meters on curb parking for upper Highland AND off‐street parkingat upper Highland and Patricia6. Establish parking district (if neighbors support) to permit unlimited curb parking for visitors, caregivers, etc.Patricia Dr AccessThanks!John Ashbaugh