Newsom Signs Executive Order Advancing 'Zone 0': Ember-Resistant Zone Required Within 5 Feet in Highest-Risk Areas
On February 6, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom, at the Governor's Office in Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, signed an executive order to further improve community hardening and wildfire mitigation strategies statewide, preparing for future urban firestorms. The order launches several initiatives, centered on accelerating regulations known as "Zone 0" and on releasing updated fire hazard maps.
The order directs the State Board of Forestry to accelerate its work to adopt the "Zone 0" regulations, which will require an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of structures located in the highest fire severity zones in the state. The Governor's Office said science has shown that combustible material within the immediate five feet of a structure contributes the greatest risk of embers directly or indirectly igniting the home. The regulations, under development for new and existing construction, would apply in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas and in Fire Hazard Severity Zones in State Responsibility Areas. While the regulations would apply to new construction upon taking effect, requirements for existing homes would likely be phased in over three years to allow homeowners to prepare, prioritize mitigations and secure financial assistance, alongside financial assistance proposed in the Governor's January budget.
The order also tasks the Office of the State Fire Marshal with releasing updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for areas under local government responsibility. The Governor's Office said the new maps would add approximately 1.4 million new acres of land into the two higher tiers of fire severity, expanding the High tier by approximately 1.16 million new acres and the Very High tier by approximately 247,000 new acres. In total, local planners and developers will have to factor wildfire-hardening requirements into building planning, design and construction within nearly 2.3 million acres of Local Responsibility Areas. The maps are expected to be released one region at a time, beginning in Northern California, and their release would begin a 120-day clock for local government jurisdictions to adopt local ordinances incorporating the State Fire Marshal's recommendations.
The order further requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to work with local, federal and tribal partners on improvements to the federal resource ordering system for wildfire response. The Governor's Office said the Local Responsibility Area release follows last year's release of equivalent updated zones and maps in State Responsibility Areas, and follows months of planning discussions, including consultation with insurance providers.
On investment, the Governor's Office said the state has more than doubled investments in wildfire prevention and landscape resilience, providing more than $2.5 billion in wildfire resilience since 2020, with an additional $1.5 billion from the 2024 Climate Bond to be committed beginning this year for proactive projects that protect communities from wildfire and promote healthy natural landscapes. The Newsom Administration has invested $2 billion to support CAL FIRE operations, a 47 percent increase since 2018, which has helped build CAL FIRE from 5,829 positions to 10,741 in that same period, and the Administration is now implementing shorter workweeks for state firefighters while adding 2,400 additional state firefighters to CAL FIRE's ranks over the next five years.
"We are living in a new reality of extremes. Believe the science - and your own damn eyes: Mother Nature is changing the way we live and we must continue adapting to those changes," Newsom said. "California's resilience means we will keep updating our standards in the most fire-prone areas."
Related: 洛杉矶 Pacific Palisades 山火烧毁逾6800座建筑、12人死亡
Related: Altadena 伊顿山火烧毁逾9400座建筑、17人死亡
(Source: Office of the Governor of California)
Source: Office of the Governor of California
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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