BRUSH CLEARANCE
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Monrovia’s annual brush clearance program is underway, helping hillside homeowners protect their properties from the threat of brushfire.
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“Fire danger is acute again this year, and 100% cooperation from residents will be necessary to insure against the potential flame spread if there is a brush fire here,” said Fire Chief Chris Donovan.
A prolonged drought, coupled with heavy vegetation, have substantially heightened the danger, he said.
Inspections of hillside properties for compliance begin May 15.
Monrovia ordinances and regulations (8.14.030 -050) FIRE HAZARDS RELATING TO VEGETATION require that all native brush, weeds, grass and hazardous vegetation be kept clear of any structure for a minimum of 200 feet. Property owners are responsible for clearing that radius around their buildings.
Properties not complying with the 200-foot clearance by July 1 may fall into the newly adopted administrative fine ordinance process (see Page 2) – which could cost property owners as much as $1,000 in fines for the first offense and up to $5,000 in fines for the third offense – if it is determined that the lack of brush cleared posses a significant risk to public safety.
To assist property owners in the annual clearance requirement, the Fire Department is again offering its Brush Chipper Program, wherein cleared and stacked brush can be picked up and removed for free by a City-hired contractor.
For details on the program or for answers to specific questions, contact the Monrovia Fire Department at (626) 256-8109. Thank you for your continued effort to help MFD maintain a fire safe community.
Let us know how we are doing. Submit a customer service survey.
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The following publications will be helpful in brush clearance and fire safe landscaping.
LACO approved brush abatement contractors
Vegetation guide
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
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You must live in the Very High Fire Severity Zone to be eligible for this program. This area encompasses the north end of Monrovia to Hillcrest/Grand
Step 1 Place stacked green waste in the street.
Step 2 Call the hotline at (626) 256-8109. (Please speak slowly) and leave your name, address and phone number.
Step 3 The Fire Department will call and have the waste removed usually within 48 hours.
NOTICE: This program will be available on a first come first served basis beginning April 21, 2008. It is a grant-funded program; so call early and take advantage of this cost-saving program.
In addition, use this program as part of bid if you are hiring a contractor to complete your brush clearance. The cost will be reduced if they leave the material at the street. If you have a large project, call the Fire Department for approval prior to starting the work.
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Special Team of Firefighters Monitoring Hillsides
The Monrovia Fire Department has partnered with the Rio Hondo Community College Fire Technology Department. This type II wildland hand crew is a special team of firefighters used during brush fire operations to create defensive breaks in fuel, thereby slowing and often times stopping the spread of fire. This 20-person crew has logged impressive deployments through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Forest Service (Angeles Forest Division) as is evident in the information found at the website www.firecrew77.com.
You will see the hand crews in our hillsides performing regular field drills, hikes through the mountainous terrain and routine maneuvers such as compass drills and shelter deployments. At this time no specialized equipment will be used and the firefighters will not be deploying any vehicles onto the motorways. Eventually, the team will be occupying the Wilderness Fire Station located on Cloverleaf and will assist with Fire Department Operations related to fuel reduction, buffer zone creations and clearing of roads and trails, which is normal practice during our annual brush mitigation program.
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