SFPUC 2001 Alameda Watershed Management Plan

III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTSG. FIRE MANAGEMENTWatershed; however, SFPUC and CDF staff cannot access all of them because some valves areincompatible with other existing equipment.The goals of fire protection systems are to reduce the risks associated with wildfires and toprovide resource protection and personal safety. However, no fire protection system cancompletely eliminate the risks associated with fire, but a system can reduce these risks to someacceptable level, given constraints on the physical and social systems in which they are to beimplemented.2.0 IMPACTS2.1 SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIAThe City has not formally adopted significance standards for increased risk of fire, but itgenerally considers that the implementation of the Alameda Watershed Management Plan wouldresult in a significant effect with respect to fire risks if it were to:! expose people or structures to a substantial risk of loss, injury, or death involving wildlandfires, including where wildlands are adjacent to urbanized areas or where residences areintermixed with wildlands; or! substantially interfere with an emergency response plan or emergency evacuation plan.2.2 PROGRAM-LEVEL IMPACTSThis section discusses the potential impacts of implementation of Management Plan managementactions on fire management, including reduction of existing fire breaks, increases in publicaccess and use, and use of prescribed burns.Reduction of Existing Fuel BreaksImplementation of the Management Plan would result in closure or retirement of existing roadswithin the Watershed. Action roa4 calls for closing roads that are not needed for safety oraccess. Action roa5 calls for consolidating roads and could result in closure or retirement ofroads. Action roa8 promotes revegetation as a method of restricting access on low-use roadswith sensitive soil types, including abandoned roads. Roads serve not only as fuel breaks, butalso provide access for firefighters to reach and control fires within the Watershed. Although itis the intent that roads remain passable for emergency access, implementation of thesemanagement actions could result in revegetation of roads and may lead to herbaceous fuelloading and an increase in wildfire risk. This increase in wildfire risk could substantiallyinterfere with emergency response plans and expose people or structures to a substantial risk ofloss.While the Management Plan proposes certain management actions that could bring aboutphysical effects, the Management Plan also includes actions that would reduce these potentialNOP 96.223E: Alameda Watershed Management Plan III.G-7 ESA / 930385January 2001