Fire prevention: wildland-urban interface wildfire risk model: model use guidelines.

Existing law requires the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones and, by regulation, to designate fire hazard severity zones and assign each zone a rating reflecting the degree of severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in the zone. This bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, by July 1, 2022, to develop a wildland-urban interface wildfire risk model to determine the risk for a community or parcel in a local responsibility area or state responsibility area and guidelines for the proper use of the model, as provided. The bill would require the department to establish, and consult with, an advisory workgroup, with specified members, to develop the model. The bill would require the department to update the model and guidelines when fire hazard severity zones are revised. This bill would also make a revision to the provision relating to the purpose of the fire hazard severity zones provisions. This bill would make the implementation of these provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for these purposes. This bill would also repeal these provisions relating to the wildland-urban interface wildfire risk model and the guidelines and the revisions to the provisions relating to the purpose of the fire hazard severity zones on January 1, 2025.