Oceanside chief: Riverbed brush is a fire hazard

By: MARGA KELLOGG - Staff Writer
City's response to firestorms gets applause | Wednesday, November 7, 2007 11:03 PM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE -- Fire Chief Terry Garrison told the Oceanside City Council on Wednesday night that the brush clogging the San Luis Rey River channel is a hazard and should be thinned.

"Eliminate as much fuel as possible while still maintaining the standards that we have to," Garrison told the council, referring to state and federal requirements to protect endangered species in the area. "You can reduce the hazard and make it much, much safer for the citizens of Oceanside."

Garrison's comments came during the council's first meeting since wildfires charred the county for nearly a week beginning Oct. 21. While fire officials said Oceanside was never directly threatened, five San Diego County fires scorched 329,000 acres, or 514 square miles.

Garrison spoke at the request of Deputy Mayor Rocky Chavez and Councilwoman Esther Sanchez, who put items on the agenda examining different aspects of the city's fire preparedness. Chavez asked what could be done to reduce the fire risk in the San Luis Rey River channel, and Sanchez requested a report on how the city's response played out during the wildfires.

The resulting presentations showcased the efforts of Oceanside staffers, firefighters, police and volunteers who responded to the disaster in a variety of ways. Those included setting up and staffing an evacuation center at El Camino High School and going door to door in the city's northeast neighborhood of Morro Hills, which at one point was given a voluntary evacuation order.

Garrison pointed out that every safety member of the fire department responded to a voluntary recall at the outset of the fires except two, who were out of state. The result was, he said, that the department could send between 15 and 18 units and more than 40 firefighters to fight fires outside of Oceanside and maintain enough staffing to protect the city.

After several rounds of applause from the audience, Garrison said the process is one of looking at the good and the bad.

"Tonight we're acknowledging that we worked well together," he said. "We're a team. Now we need to go back and look at the tactical level, make sure we did everything we could. I guarantee you there will be areas that can be improved."

One thing that could be improved, Chavez said, is to remove the choking trees and brush in the San Luis Rey riverbed.

The city has battled since 2000 to clear such debris from the channel, which encompasses the lower 7.2 miles of the San Luis Rey River. That year, the Army Corps of Engineers completed a system of flood-control levees along the river and planted the vegetation.

Since then, the growth has created the potential for flooding and fires, as well as a sanctuary for seven endangered species, including the least Bell's vireo, which nests between March and late September. The nesting pattern requires the clearing be done during the fall and winter.

The city has been working to begin a phased clearing program for the riverbed, but has been stymied by delays in obtaining permits from the state Department of Fish and Game. Unless there is imminent danger, the city would be breaking the law to clear the area without all the permits in place.

Libby Lucas, a spokesperson for the state department, told the council Wednesday night that the permit is a priority and is on track for Dec. 31, which would allow clearing to begin as scheduled in February.

Chavez said he's going to be watching for Dec. 31.

"What I don't want us to do as a City Council is kick the can down the street," said Chavez, who noted that by the time danger is imminent it will be too late. "I want to hold these timelines strong. It's important that we as the leadership in the council demand that we get this done."

City Manager Peter Weiss said the city is taking steps to meet with neighborhoods along the river channel to discuss concerns and that the city is working to put together an after-action plan that will include updating it's emergency plan.

Chavez suggested that there is a role for faith-based organizations in the plan that has not yet been considered and asked that city staff examine the possibilities.

Mayor Jim Wood pointed to the need to work out military air support issues with the federal government and said he will be going to the county's regional planning agency, the San Diego Association of Governments, to talk about zoning issues. Specifically, he said, people who are building houses on the edge of canyons where they shouldn't be built.

He said houses built in such areas should have requirements for pumps and other resources that all for fire protection.

Also Wednesday, the council approved 3-2, with Wood and Sanchez opposed, a zoning change that would allow small pieces of telecommunications equipment to be installed on buildings west of the railroad tracks.

-- Contact staff writer Marga Kellogg at (760) 901-4067 or mkellogg@nctimes.com.

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