June 16, 2025
Tomorrow, the City Council will vote on the Berkeley Fire Department’s EMBER proposal for wildfire preparedness – a plan endorsed by the Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, Berkeley FireSafe Council, Berkeley Disaster and Fire Safety Commission, and Berkeley Firewise community leaders along the Grizzly Peak Ridge.
Under the EMBER proposal, 1200 homeowners living between Grizzly Peak Blvd and Wildcat Canyon Rd or on Panoramic Hill (and ultimately 1800 homeowners in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone) will be asked to maintain a 5-foot ember-resistant “Zone Zero” around their homes, to reduce the chance that an ember storm will ignite their homes during a wildfire.
It’s a plan that’s completely consistent with the state’s latest proposed Zone Zero regulations, which will be required statewide for homeowners living in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, but helps Berkeley get a head start on this fire season and the next.
After dozens of community meetings, large and small, where we talked with hundreds if not thousands of neighbors, I’ve authored an additional measure in response to community feedback that directs the Fire Department to make further changes to improve the EMBER proposal, including:
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Ensuring the focus is on education, support, and guidance for neighbors – not citations and penalties
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Assembling $1+ million in grant funds for Zone Zero vegetation management (available to neighbors age 65+ and/or below median income) as well as a transfer tax credit, with additional financial support on the way
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Providing neighbors plenty of time to begin work – at least 12 months before inspections begin, and even more time to continue improving after inspections
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Ensuring that the ordinance will allow the staging of work to support implementation of Zone 0 and address the costs of compliance without triggering citations
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Providing support for home hardening in addition to vegetation managemen t, by offering free wire mesh to screen attic vents and cover gutters, establishing a relationship with a local non-profit to accept donations to support home hardening projects, and improving the City’s home hardening transfer tax credit so funds are more accessible to residents
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Clarifying the modification and appeal process that residents can use if completing required work would result in the taking of endangered, rare, or threatened plant or animal species or significant erosion and sedimentation of surface waters
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Identifying and training local landscapers and contractors who can assist neighbors in meeting the new Zone Zero defensible space standards
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Revisiting Berkeley’s standards prior to implementation of the Zone Zero law if the State of California changes their requirements in the months ahead
We’ve assembled a lot of resources so you can learn more about EMBER:
Visual guide to Zone Zero, courtesy of San Francisco Chronicle
EMBER 2-page overview from the Berkeley Fire Department
EMBER FAQ from the Berkeley Fire Department
And here are two key things you can do, right now, to start getting personalized guidance and support:
As your elected representative to the Berkeley City Council, I want to make sure you have the facts about EMBER before the proposal receives a final council vote.
If you have any additional feedback for me, please feel free to reply to this email – or email bblackaby@berkeleyca.gov.
Thanks for giving me the privilege of serving you on the City Council!
Thanks,
P.S. I’m also including links here to the detailed legislative language about the Fire Department’s proposed fire code language and fire maps being considered Tuesday night.