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November 11. 2014 12:01AM Our View: Zoning, building codes should respect fire When wildfire sweeps through a residential area, those homeowners who have prepared for the worst by creating defensible space around their homes may fare the best. But even the best preparation is no guarantee that a home will survive. That's the message of a new study co-authored by Southern Oregon University professor Dennis Odion. He argues that fuel reduction projects in forest land around communities should not be seen as the solution to wildfires. Rather, people need to see wildfire as a natural and inevitable, like earthquakes. That won't come as welcome news to owners of homes in the wildland-urban interface. And certainly, areas that encroach on forest land where houses already exist should be protected to the extent possible. But going forward, Odion's recommendations should guide planning departments and lawmakers. Specifically, Odion argues that land-use laws should discourage building at all in the most fire-prone areas. In other areas, building codes should require fire-resistant materials such as metal roofs and concrete siding. Medford Fire Marshal Greg Kleinberg says people planning to build houses along the eastern foothills and on the slopes of Roxy Ann Peak are given recommendations for fire-resistant materials and other safeguards, but none of it is required. Kleinberg says he wishes the city had such requirements in place, but notes that even that would be no guarantee that a home would survive a wildfire. That's the point that needs to be emphasized when people consider building homes in the interface, whether it be on the foothills east of Medford, above the boulevard in Ashland or in more remote locations. Even the most thorough preparations may fail when the flames arrive, just as the latest seismic reinforcements may not withstand a strong earthquake. Local government leaders and state lawmakers should consider putting restrictions into land-use laws and building codes to limit the growth of housing where it is most vulnerable to fire and to require fire-resistant materials where building is permitted.     http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141111/OPINION/141119946 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->