The Community Risk Reduction Department contributes to community safety and prosperity through the systematic mitigation of risk. Staff identifies and analyzes community risks to determine the cause and targets for program development. Staff works with the development community and partner agency staff to help build safe communities; with community stakeholders and residents to maintain and enhance safety at the neighborhood level; and with several other agencies and stakeholders to evaluate losses and improve mitigation through engineering, education, and enforcement. The Department is comprised of the following three sections:
The Planning and Development Services Sections of the Orange County Fire Authority interacts with developers, architects, and engineers to meet the fire protection requirements for building and developments by reviewing all architectural blueprints, development plans, and proposals submitted to OCFA’s jurisdictions. This includes tract and parcel maps, permits for conditional use, site development, coastal development, environmental impact reports, and other items related to the development process. This section is responsible for the Front Counter customer service and plan intake/output activities as well as the New Construction team that facilitates the scheduling and field inspections for all new construction.
The Prevention Field Services Section is comprised of five area offices located in Irvine, Ladera Ranch, Buena Park, Santa Ana, and Garden Grove. This section is responsible for annual, on demand and State licensing inspections, State mandates, complaints, and the fireworks program. The section is also responsible for the distribution and monitoring of Operations fire prevention inspection workload.
The Pre-Fire Management Sections takes a proactive approach to fire prevention through the systematic mitigation of risk in its community. Pre-Fire Management is comprised of three units:
Community Wildland Mitigation
This unit is responsible for defensible space and fuel modification mandated inspections, local ordinance enforcement in communities in the wildland areas and maintaining a Firescope Damage Assessment Team (DINS). By request, this unit delivers individual home assessments, the Ready Set Go! Program, attend community and HOA meetings to assist in developing plans to mitigate risk. The team works closely with CAL Fire South Ops unit to provide community safety within and between Local and State Responsibility Areas.
Wildland Planning
This unit is supervised by a Wildland Resource Planner and supported by a Wildland Resource Technician. The team works closely alongside of the CWM team to assist large landowner and open space stakeholders in identifying and mitigating risk. This unit also monitors wildland and vegetation conditions to identify potential hazards, ensuring communities in the wildland urban interface areas are better protected from risk of wildfire. This unit provides the connection between Operations and large landowners for purposes of training, land access, land management during an incident and post incident suppression repair.
Community Risk Reduction Training
Community Risk Reduction is responsible for the development and delivery of training to its 75 members. This unit monitors and promotes the Career Development, Succession Planning and Apprenticeship programs.