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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/19/1991 Minutes of a Special Meeting November 19, 1991 Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Meeting Tuesday, November 19, 1991, 7:00 P.M. Bullis-Purissima School, 25890 Fremont Road 1. CALL TO ORDER,ROLL CALL,AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Hubbard called the Special Meeting of the City Council to order at 7:05 p.m. at Bullis-Purissima School. Present: Mayor Hubbard and Councilmembers Casey, Johnson, Siegel and Tryon. Absent: None Staff: City Manager Les Jones and City Clerk Pat Dowd Press: Don Brignolo, San Jose Mercury; Susan Jackson, Peninsula Times Tribune 2. WHAT CAN LOS ALTOS HILLS LEARN FROM THE OAKLAND FIRE? A. Purpose of Meeting Mayor Hubbard welcomed everyone to the meeting and believed it would be an informative evening on what the Town could learn from the recent, tragic fire in Oakland. B. Introductions Mayor Hubbard introduced the following groups in addition to the speakers who would be addressing the Council: Los Altos County Fire Protection District Board, Purissima Hills Water District Board, Planning Commission, Safety Committee, Environmental Design and Protection Committee, Town Emergency Coordinators and Town Ham Radio Operators. lekar C. Presentations November 19, 1991 1 1. California Water Services Clay Scofield Mr. Scofield noted that California Water served one-third of the Town and he congratulated the residents on their water conservation. He commented on the water pressure and the use of portable booster generators. Mr. Scofield provided a map of their service area in the Town and noted that they had an emergency connection to the Purissima Hills Water District in case it was needed. 2. Los Altos Fire Department Richard Landrum Fire Chief Richard Landrum recommended several steps to lessen the fire danger in the Town. These recommendations included landscaping being at least thirty feet from the house, roofs being cleared of leaves, use of drought tolerant plants, fire retardant roofing and awareness that eucalyptus trees are a very volatile species of trees. Mr. Landrum stated that the resources were available for fighting a fire in the Town. In addition to personnel and fire equipment there was the County Mutual Aid Agreement and the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement. In response to an inquiry about watering down roofs, Mr. Landrum stated that if someone were doing this it was too late. This placed everyone in danger, took the firefighters off what they were supposed to be doing and also worked against the hydrant pressure. Mr. kla• Landrum also noted that the fire department could get to all sections of the Town in case of an emergency although some areas were more difficult to reach than others. The critical elements of a fire were time, topography and the nature of the fire. 3. Pacific Bell Steve Petrocchi and Patti Stewart Ms. Stewart noted that Pacific Bell had an extensive emergency program including a network management center in San Ramon and an emergency operating center in Palo Alto. Portable equipment was available and they sent service representatives to the evacuation centers after a disaster. As they shared poles, they worked very closely with PG&E. Ms. Stewart commented that after a disaster there tended to be a flurry of phone calls but they did ask that people not get on the phones as this jammed the lines. 4. Pacific Gas &Electric Dennis Ikerd Mr. Ikerd noted that he was one of the emergency coordinators for PG&E and was also the representative from PG&E to Los Altos Hills. He noted that klw November 19, 1991 2 PG&E had an extensive emergency plan; however, it was not possible for PG&E to work in the middle of a fire. He relayed what they had lost in the Oakland fire. Mr. Ikerd commented that Los Altos Hills was divided into a grid system and they could isolate the area in trouble. He further commented that if the power was shut off to a grid, then the power was also off to the pumping stations so it was very important for them to coordinate with the water companies. Mr. Ikerd suggested turning off gas and electricity to the house if one had time, making sure vegetation was not too close to the house as it covered up their lines, not having shake roofs and being aware the eucalyptus trees were dangerous to their power lines. He explained how they set up a command post in the event of an emergency and asked for understanding on the part of the residents when their crews were working after a disaster. Mr. Ikerd suggested that it would be most helpful if they could have an area in the Town where they could stockpile equipment for use in a disaster. This would reduce the response and travel time in getting the Town back on line. 5. Purissima Water District William McCann General Manager William McCann presented a review of the District's facilities following the Oakland fire. This report (a copy is on file at Town Hall) included a discussion of the Town's pipelines, storage tanks, pumps, telemetry and communications. He concurred with Fire Chief Landrum regarding not using sprinklers in a fire. This did cause a drain on the system. Mr. McCann noted that future plans included consideration of an intertie with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, an additional pumping facility to serve the Town's highest zone, the development of a well site and improvements to the two-way communication system. 6. Sheriff's Department Captain Robert Wilson Captain Wilson reported on their priorities in a fire emergency situation. These priorities included setting up command and control stations, protecting people and property, preventing looting, controlling crowds, working with the fire department, implementing the evacuation process, providing security at the centers that are set up and assisting the disabled. Regarding the disabled, Captain Wilson noted that they relied on the neighbors to let them know if anyone needed assistance and he suggested getting to know who lived in the neighborhood as an aid in case of emergency. Captain Wilson also suggested better and illuminated signage of streets and house numbers. November 19, 1991 3 ( D. Questions and Answers w Dr. Howard Martin, 11666 Dawson Drive, referred to the 1984 election at which time the residents voted to delete the ordinance requiring fire retardant roofing from the Town's Code. He questioned whether individual freedom could be used in this manner and strongly believed that fire retardant roofing should be required in the Town. Dr. Martin further suggested that no new eucalyptus trees be planted and that the streets be wide enough for fire equipment. He also recommended a review of fire truck access to all sites, of hydrant adequacy and of pathway safety. Donna Peterson, Ravensbury, asked if the Fire Department patrolled the Town and also inquired about the responsibility for eucalpytus trees. Betsy Bertram, 11854 Page Mill Road, believed that dead growth was an issue and suggested that weed abatement be better enforced. She also believed Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos should have been included in this meeting. Mrs. Bertram asked if PG&E had any information on propane. In response to an inquiry about the evacuation of large animals, she noted that the emergency coordinators had found places where the animals could be kept in an emergency. Charles Garbett, 13906 Page Mill Road, noted that the houses that survived IIlir the fire had fire retardant roofing and thought it was absurd that the Town did not require such roofing. Mr. Garbett also commented that he had some experience with propane and stated that all combustibles should be kept away from propane. Norman Blank, Corbetta Lane, asked if there was a chain of command for notifying the media of an evacuation and also asked about the responsibility for removing dead trees. A. Richard Jones, 12660 LaCresta Drive, asked if there was any benefit to undergrounding utilities in the event of a disaster. George Dill, 13300 E. Sunset Drive, stated there would be no way they could get out if the poles went done on their street. Ruth Buneman, 12655 LaCresta Drive, commented on the use of salt water to fight fires in France and wondered why this was not done in the States. November 19, 1991 4 Margot Pratt, 2215 Old Page Mill Road, asked what the policy was on getting back to one's house after an evacuation. Jitze Couperus, 13680 Page Mill Road, noted that a fire had been caused by a Sheriffs deputy when he responded to an accident on Page Mill Road. Mr. Couperus urged the deputies to be more careful when using flares. Charles Pack, 25303 LaLoma Drive, complained about the roofing industry. He had been misinformed when doing his re-roof and he believed they should raise their standards of salesmanship. Jerry Peterson, Ravensbury, inquired about the response time to fires. Bob Burns, Committee for Fire Safe Roofing, stated that the purpose of this committee was not to tell someone what kind of roof to get but where to find the information on types of roofing. He was located in Mountain View and had packets of information available for anyone who was interested. Mr. Burns also noted that it was important for cities to do long range planning regarding fire safety. He mentioned public awareness and different perceptions as evidenced by the MGM fire which resulted in the use of smoke detectors. It often took making very difficult decisions. Jan Fenwick, 28011 Elena Road, asked if there should be a fire station in Los Altos Hills. Jean Struthers, 13690 Robleda Road, expressed her fear of an arsonist setting off the eucalyptus trees. She would like to see the road shoulders cleared of eucaluptus trees. Stephanie Munoz, 13460 Robleda, also commented on the removal of eucalptus trees and believed the Town should work together with residents on these safety issues. Tryon reported that the Town had a good emergency plan which included the Town being divided into thirty five neighborhoods, each with a coordinator. Tryon also noted that Los Altos Hills had far less density than Oakland and Santa Clara County had an excellent organization on emergency preparedness. Communication, education, coordination with governmental agencies and use of the Town Newsletter all contributed to a good emergency plan. November 19, 1991 5 Fire Chief Landrum made the following comments in response to the questions raised. He noted that the 30' minimum for landscaping was important as fire could travel very fast. Regarding the responsibility for eucalyptus trees it was difficult to enforce as it was hard in some cases to determine who owned them. In response to the Mayor's question about adapters he stated that there were State standards for outlets but these were not mandatory. Mr. Landrum commented that salt water was not used in the States as it was very expensive to get the equipment. Regarding the issue of stations, he noted that the Fire Commission was currently looking at the El Monte Station and Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos were looking at the possibility of joint facilities. A study was also underway on the equipment. In summary, Mr. Landrum noted the key words: mitigation, response and recovery which included adequate road widths, adequate water, fire retardant roofs, adequate addressing of properties and appropriate landscaping. Captain Robert Wilson stated that once an evacuation is declared no one can get back into the area and arrests will be made if necessary. He also noted that police and fire work together immediately in responding to a disaster but one of the problems of the Oakland fire was that it moved so fast. In response to a question regarding whether or not there was a plan for the evacuation of large animals in case of a disaster, Captain Wilson noted that there was not. iby Their priority was the safe evacuation of the residents and oftentimes the horse trailers in such a situation prevented emergency crews from getting through. Dennis Ikerd noted that undergrounding utilities did not provide that much of an advantage over overhead. E. Summary Mayor Hubbard thanked everyone for attending this meeting. It had been most informative and he noted that many of the issues and concerns raised would be discussed further by the Council. 3. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR November 19, 1991 6 4. ADJOURNMENT tir There being no further new or old business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Patricia Dowd City Clerk The minutes of the November 19, 1991 Special City Council Meeting were approved at the December 18, 1991 Regular City Council Meeting. 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